Deteriorate
by Rainfox88
Summary: AU. Dante is confronted by Vergil about the rise of two powerful demons threatening to destroy them and damn the world. The twins must partner up to fight them. Along the way, Dante struggles with his feelings for Lady. Little does he know, so does she...
1. Chapter 1: Lady and the Devil Hunter

**Chapter 1: Lady and the Devil Hunter**

"No, no, make that a supreme with extra cheese. Why the hell would I want pineapples on my pizza? They come with a free order of cinnamon sticks tonight? Ah, alright."

Dante hung up the phone and sat there at his desk. The shop had been quiet all day. Not even the phone had rung to annoy Dante. With his feet propped up on the desk, the half-human, half-demon man yawned in boredom.

He looked all over his shop. It needed to be cleaned, but he wasn't about to move from his chair. Old pizza boxes sat around and inside a small trash can to the corner. A lounge chair, two couches, coffee table, and television sat next to a staircase in the other corner. The staircase went up to an open second floor balcony where Dante's extra junk laid about in messy silence. The window next to the bed was halfway blocked by a letter off of his 'Devil May Cry' sign outside. There was a door next to that very window that led up to the roof of the building.

Of course he had his large jukebox to the far left corner from the front doors. Beside it was Dante's drum set, terribly dusty and worn out. To the right of the doors sat his pool table that hadn't been played in days. Dante didn't even want to think about the bathroom. Located on the other side of the door behind him, the bathroom needed cleaning, along with the tiny, dusty kitchen in the back that was smaller than even the two small bedrooms. One of the rooms was Dante's, messy and closed to the public. The other room was a guest bedroom that was the cleanest room in the whole entire shop.

Sighing, Dante averted his eyes again. He caught sight of some cobwebs in the corner. He even saw a spider eating a moth. It amused him for only a second before he heard the front door knock.

He got to his feet and answered it. He saw Gerald in front of him with two boxes. His dumpy old pizza car sat running behind him on the road. Gerald was the pizza delivery boy from 'Billy's Fine Pizza'. Gerald was a thin boy in his late teens, timid and shy, really.

"Ah! Dinner, finally! I'm starved!" Dante exclaimed.

Before Dante could grab his supreme pizza and cinnamon sticks, Gerald stepped back. He gulped down a breath, and smiled sheepishly at the devil hunter.

"Ah, Mr. Dante…Billy told me to get your debt from you before I hand over your pizza….from last month."

"Last month? You saying I didn't pay?"

"Uh, yeah…And you owe us $546.87 altogether."

"Phh, yeah right! That much for pizza? Nice try, kid. Tell Billy that was funny."

"Uh, you order pizza almost every night. That's how much it is for a whole month, not including tips for delivery."

"Fascinating, Gerald, but I don't have the money. How about next time?"

Gerald seemed unsure. He looked from the pizza boxes in his hand to Dante. He had to deal with this almost every time he delivered to the son of Sparda.

"Look, my food's getting cold," Dante stated with a look.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Dante! I can't until you pay me!"

"I keep telling Billy that I will repay him if you guys ever get attacked by demons. I won't charge him for the extermination in exchange for the pizza I get all the time. Sounds fair, right? And I'm giving you guys a good deal, because I charge a pretty penny for my work."

"Umm, umm, well…"

"Just talk to him about it, alright? Now, give me the pizza, Gerald."

Gerald handed over the pizza and cinnamon sticks with a defeated sigh. He gave the devil hunter a pleading, yet questioning look.

"Are you sure, Mr. Dante?"

"Sure, kid, sure. Good night!"

Dante shut the door in his face. He walked victoriously back to his desk and chair. He heard the pizza car leave a minute later. Dante sat his food on the desk, and went into the back room. He came out with a bottle of dark beer and sat down. Popping open the lid with skill, Dante took a drink, and then opened the pizza box.

"Good, my little spider friend gets a moth to eat, and I…I get some delicious pizza!" Dante laughed.

He grabbed a slice out of the box. He looked it over, his belly growling for food. He put it to his mouth to take a bite. Before his tongue could even touch the freaking pizza, the front doors burst open.

"Pizza again, I presume? I saw Gerald. Boy, I actually think you made him cry this time, Dante."

"Ugh, I just lost my appetite," Dante mumbled, dropping the pizza back into the box.

Lady vaulted herself up to sit on top of Dante's desk. She gave him a mischievous smile. Dante gave her a look, and leaned back in his chair. Lady grabbed the same slice Dante was going to eat, and took a bite.

"That wasn't very nice," she stated.

"Yeah, you can have some, help yourself," Dante heaved.

"Well, if I made you lose your appetite, then I guess I'll take the whole damn box. What's in this one?"

Lady opened the smaller pizza box and found sweet smelling cinnamon sticks warm and ready to eat. Her smile broadened, and she looked to Dante.

"Ooh, cinnamon sticks, my favorite."

She saw Dante raise an eyebrow slightly, and his handsome face twitched a tiny smirk that Lady could spot a mile away. Lady took another bite of her pizza.

"This is pretty good. You should've put pineapples on it though."

Dante grimaced, "Yuck."

Lady chuckled after putting the slice down. She went to grab the beer bottle, but Dante took it out of her reach. His eyes flashed playfully, and he took his own drink.

"I don't think so, missy."

He went to take another drink, and Lady glared at him. She snatched it out of his grasp just before he could put it to his lips. She took her own drink without any hesitation.

"Hey! You could've gotten your own!"

"Well why didn't you say so? Go get me one."

"Hell no," Dante growled. He slapped the pizza box lid shut. Lady only shrugged, and continued drinking Dante's beer. He watched her closely, and sighed.

"Geez, it looks like a pigsty in here, Dante. Did you not take my advice from what, a week ago? You need to clean this place up."

"Hey, I've been busy today, thank you."

"Busy doing what?" Lady asked, squinting her different colored eyes.

Dante averted his eyes from her. He hasn't done a damn thing all day except sit there at his desk. He wasn't about to admit that to her though. He saw her smirk widen, and he knew he was too late at answering her. He heaved a sigh at her.

"You were _that _busy, huh?"

"And what about you? What have you been doing? I didn't even hear your motorcycle this time. Did you walk here?"

"I've been doing more than you, if that's what your insinuating. As for my motorcycle, it's in the shop. My last hunt kind of put it in bad shape. So, yeah, I did walk here, what of it?"

"It wouldn't have happened if I would've been there," Dante muttered lowly.

Lady gave him a look. "What?"

"Nothing, babe. Nothing," he quickly replied. He took his beer back and finished it off. Lady only deepened her glare at him.

Lady sighed, "Well, I guess I better leave you to your food. See ya around."

She got up and headed for the door. Dante watched her for a moment, and then leaned forward in his chair, putting his feet down onto the floor. He hated seeing her leave.

"Wait. Was there a point to this lovely visit?" he asked. He let his eyes wander her body until she turned around to face him, then he looked her in the eyes.

Lady's eyes danced playfully, and her smile was back on her face. "Well, since you put it that way. Are you up for a bet?"

Dante felt himself smirk wolfishly. He adored absolutely everything about Lady. He coveted her so bad. Betting was something they loved to play with each other with, and Dante loved every minute of it.

"Alright," Dante nodded, getting to his feet and walking over to her.

"If I shoot the eight ball in, then-"

"Oh no. Not that trick again. Try something else, babe."

She gave him one of her looks. Dante couldn't tell if it was because he refused to do her eight ball trick, or that he kept calling her babe, even though she hated it.

Dante took out a coin. He tossed it up in the air, and then caught it. He gave her a boyish look. He showed her the coin from afar.

"How about the simple flip of a coin? Sounds easy, right? Fifty-fifty shot for each of us. Now, what is the bet?"

Lady was glaring at him suspiciously, but then surprisingly gave up. She nodded at him, even though she still had that look in her eye.

"Fine. Heads, I win, and you get to come with me to an abandoned church to the south to investigate," Lady answered.

"Why do you get heads?"

"'Cause I called it first."

"But I want heads." Dante gave her a pouted look.

"So what, I called it."

"But baby!"

"Don't baby me! How many times do I have to tell you?! No calling me baby or babe! End of story!"

"Babe, come on," Dante said gently. He was loving this on the inside.

"Alright! You can have heads, just stop calling me that!"

"Great! Now, if you lose, then you get to spend the night with me. How does that sound, babe-I mean, Lady?"

Lady crossed her arms, glaring at him. "Whatever, but I get to flip the coin," she growled.

Dante shook his head, an impish smile on his gorgeous face. "Oh, I don't think so, honey. I'm flipping it."

He absolutely loved that glare he just got from her. She hated honey too. Anything that Dante called her as a lover, she hated, especially in public. Before she could say or do anything, Dante flipped the coin up in the air. When he caught it, he flipped it onto his palm. He grinned, and showed her the outcome.

"Looks like it's just you and me tonight, baby."

Her eyes flashed, and she was immediately on him. Dante had good reflexes. He couldn't let her have the coin. At first, it started out as a mild dodge and evade encounter. As Lady got more pissed, however, she was able to knock Dante to the floor, and they started wrestling. Lady was trying to pry the half-demon's fingers open, but Dante effortlessly flipped her over to where he was on top of her. He held her wrists down with his hands, coin still snug in his left hand.

Lady fought with him, but all his weight was on her. Dante just sat there until she finally gave up. She was rough with breaths, and she was giving him the evil eye. Dante got just centimeters from her lips.

"Wow, babe. I didn't know you were so excited to stay with me."

"Get off me before I castrate you! And I said don't call me that!"

"But I won the bet. It's only fair, babe."

"Let me see that coin! I know you did something! You cheated!"

"What? Now why would I do that?"

They were in the middle of the floor, in a bad position. Dante was completely on top of Lady, holding her down. Dante was taking his only chance, and inhaling her sweet scent. He dared nothing else, for when he let her loose, she really would castrate him.

To make things worse, the front doors opened. Dante and Lady shot their heads over to see who the visitor was in complete surprise. Of all people, it was Enzo Ferino. The man that gave Dante this very building to set up his shop, Enzo was some sort of vigilante of the city. Dante knew very little of Enzo, and same with Enzo to Dante. However, Enzo had an unknown reason of humbly giving this building to Dante.

Enzo Ferino was a tall, good-looking man with untidy black hair and green eyes. He wore nice clothing. He was in his late twenties, and only dealt with human criminals. He did not deal with demons like Dante did.

Enzo froze at the sight. "Wow, I guess I should've knocked. I guess I'll come back another time, Dante. Sorry for interrupting."

After clearing his throat with much effort, Enzo left before Dante could stop him. And to make things worse, Lady took Dante's distraction to her advantage. She kicked up hard, and quickly flipped the devil hunter over. Dante dropped the coin, and it started to roll along the wooden floor.

They both went after it. Scrabbling across the floor in a pitiful race, the two also wrestled each other out of the way to snag the coin. Lady was barely successful. She quickly looked at the coin while fighting Dante off.

"You jerk! This is a one sided coin! You gypped me!" Lady yelled, getting to her feet.

Dante got to his feet a little bit slower. He was now on guard. He was in deep shit now. Dante put his hands up in feeble peace and defeat. He gave her the most sweet and innocent smile he could muster, putting on all the charm to try and dissuade her from killing him.

"Now, now, babe, it was only a joke! You cheated me a few times in your bets, so it's only fair!"

"Yeah, but I always ended up letting you have your share of the bet because I felt bad for cheating you! You weren't even going to do that!"

Lady let loose a rough breath. Dante warily walked over to her. He gently took the coin from her, their hands brushing. Lady gave him a warning look, but Dante only smiled softly.

"What can I say? I like your company, Lady. We never get to spend some alone time together anymore. I guess I was getting sort of desperate."

Lady heaved a defeated sigh. She gave a look like she was thinking of smacking herself in the forehead, but she didn't do it. She finally looked Dante in the eyes.

"Well, why not accompany me to the church? And…while we're there…I'll _think_ about staying with you tonight."

Dante's smile broadened into a smirk. She saw his beautiful blue eyes flash with something that she couldn't read. She hardened her gaze on him a little.

"And I said_ think_. I will _think _about it."

"Well, then, let's get this show on the road. The sooner we get there, the sooner you can decide to come back with me for tonight."

He didn't even look to see her face or wait to see if she was going to say anything else. Dante was back over at his desk shoving the rest of the pizza down his throat so they could hurry up and go. Lady watched him, only for a small smile to creep on her pretty face. He was like a little boy sometimes. And even right now, as he stuffed his face with pizza, he was very charming.

* * *

**This will be an AU, by the way. Many of the characters from the series like Lucia will be in it, but this story mainly focuses on Lady and Dante, along with Vergil. I have a few chapters of this already done, so I will post them here and there to get it going while I work on my other fanfictions. I hope all of you enjoyed this first chapter! XD Remember, this is a Dante/Lady fic, but I will also put in some Vergil/Lady just for some drama lol! I made Enzo Ferino into my own type of character, since very little is known about him in the series! Oh, and just to fill curious readers in...there will also be a lot of flashbacks to when our two favorite twins were little...mostly little funny ones when Dante dreams. Thank you for reading and reviewing!! XD**


	2. Chapter 2: Hidden Memories

**Chapter 2: Hidden Memories**

As soon as they arrived to the very large cathedral, Dante's instincts were pulsing. Lady slowed her motorcycle to a stop. They had both gone together to get it out of the shop. As soon as Lady had paid the bill, Dante tried to drive the bike himself, but Lady fought him off. Dante was stuck riding behind her. He didn't complain too much. Lady, however, did. It was either let Dante drive, or let him sit up against her as passenger, and Lady sure as hell wasn't going to let him drive, considering she just got it out of the shop.

Lady parked the bike. They both got off and took in the sight of the creepy cathedral. It was out in the middle of nowhere, about thirty miles from the city on its own dirt road from the highway. A dark, eerie forest surrounded it; typical.

"Figures, just what you'd picture from a Hollywood horror film. That's okay though, the two lovers always make it out just fine," Dante said with a smirk.

"Funny, 'cause I only see us," Lady replied lowly.

As she headed forward, weapons ready, Dante gave her an amused look. "Ouch," he mumbled, and followed her.

"If I remember correctly the lady always lives, and the arrogant ass always dies," Lady said, glancing back at him with her own smile.

Dante chuckled, "Double ouch."

They entered through the large double doors in the front. The main hall was your typical church view. Rows of benches with bibles, and a single aisle that led up to the preaching platform. Shadowy stained glass windows only intensified their paranoia of being watched.

They had three doors to choose from. One to the left of the hall, one to the right, and one right behind the preaching platform. Lady and Dante exchanged glances then looked between the doors. Before Lady could step forward, Dante gently took her wrist to stop her.

"Wait. What's up with this place anyway?"

Even though there were signs of abandonment, Dante had the nerving feeling that something bad was here. He wanted to see if Lady knew anything about this place. She only shrugged at him though.

"People have been seeing strange creatures here, so I thought we should check it out."

"People can see this place from the highway?" Dante asked almost smugly.

Lady hesitated, and then gave him a look. "How the hell should I know? I just followed clues to another hunt, do ya mind? Now, let's investigate so we can get the hell outta here."

"Riighht," Dante sighed. "I'll go first."

He tried to head forward first, but she butted him with the Kalina Ann. She headed forward with confident steps, weapons ready.

"I believe it should be ladies first!" she called.

***

It took them almost an hour to check out the whole cathedral, and they still found nothing. There were no demons, only dead silence of the night as they searched through the dark. It was when they were up in the bell tower, their final area, that Dante's instincts were getting bad.

He stood at the edge, looking out across dark forest, and the barely noticeable highway down through the even darker dirt road. It irked him so bad. There was nothing here, yet there was this terrible feeling inside him.

He jumped when Lady touched his arm. She was startled by his jerk, and drew back a little. Dante shook out of his tense reverie and focused on her. She seemed a little worried; he could see it in her eyes.

"Dante? You okay? You're really tense."

Dante wasn't afraid. It was a weird feeling inside of him, his instincts trying to keep him on guard, while his reasoning side tried to get him to relax because of the lack of present danger.

"I think I need to call the shots on where we go on our next date," Dante said, trying to smile.

Normally, Lady would glare at him for yet another of his smart-aleck remarks, but this time she was just peering at him warily. Apparently, his last response was not convincing enough.

Before Lady could say anything, a blinding flash of blue fire came to their peripheral vision. Dante looked out the back of the church, past the garden and courtyard. He saw immense blue fire rising in a way that got his adrenaline immediately pumping. A strange feeling, almost like shock consumed him, and his brain was acting for him.

_Vergil!_

Those blue flames had to be him! Was this why he was feeling so strange here, because his older twin was here? He forgot about Lady, knew that it would take her longer to get to that area.

Dante leaped from the top of the bell tower and fell for the courtyard. He heard Lady's yells, but his mind was a hasting jumble, he couldn't respond to her. With blinding speed, he headed for the sapphire light. Upon coming closer, he realized there was some kind of battle going on.

He came out into an opening with a brightly glowing demon spell symbol branded on the ground. It was blue, but not the right blue that Dante linked to his brother. All he saw as he got Ebony and Ivory ready was a demon.

The demon spun onto him, shrieking with animalistic hunger. It had the skull of a deer with a large rack of bloody antlers. The teeth of the skull were of a predator's. The body was in shadow right now. Dante saw the gleam of the demon's weapon, and went to dodge it. A strong, surging force struck him from behind suddenly, and Dante felt the bursting of blood come from his body. He crashed to the ground, and everything went black. He heard faded fighting and laughing. Then, before his hearing gave way to his complete unconsciousness, he heard Lady's crying voice.

***

Eva was just about to give up. Finally, she was able to pull the fighting twins apart. Dante and Vergil got rough with each other all the time; it was a daily routine for Eva. She sighed in relief as her boys calmed a bit. They were still giving each other piercing glares.

"Okay, you two. I'm going to let you go, and you are going to settle down."

Eva slowly let go of the little boys. They thought about it, and she was ready, but was relieved when they actually obeyed.

"I really don't care who did what, but I guess I'm going to ask anyways," Eva sighed.

"Vergil stole my drink!" Dante yelled.

"Did not!" Vergil defended.

"Did too!" "Did not!"

"Alright!" Eva interrupted. She sighed again, heavily. She knew to stop those right away or they would carry on all day. She caught Dante sticking his tongue out at his brother, and whapped the top of his head.

"Vergil is being mean to me though!" Dante exclaimed.

"Vergil, be nice to your brother."

"But momma, I didn't do anything! He's making junk up! He's the one ruining my fun!"

"Dante leave your brother alone."

"No way, momma! He's lying!"

Before Eva could say anything else, Vergil was on top of Dante and they were both fighting again. For a moment, she thought about letting them fight it out, but then quickly thought against it. There was no solution in violence, and the twins would only get worse if she didn't set them straight.

"Why you little!" Vergil barked.

Eva tore Vergil off. Growling, she finally had enough. She glared down at Dante while holding a fighting Vergil in her arms.

"Dante, to your room!"

"But my room is _his _room too! I don't want him in there with me!" Dante argued.

"I said to your room, please!" Eva heaved.

Dante quickly obeyed and headed off for the house. Eva sat Vergil down on the ground, but dared not let go of the older twin.

"Mommy's boy!" Vergil yelled, and Eva smacked him in the head.

An hour later, after the two were in time-out away from each other, Eva was relieved. Whenever the boys fought, after she separated them for a certain amount of time, they started to miss each other. It was the weirdest thing to her how they could get over such violent fights just to be with each other again. Dante was usually the first to start asking if he could go play with his brother. And as proud and reserved Vergil was about his feelings, he would always open up and demand to see his little brother.

The moment that time-out was over, the twins were laughing and playing again. They would go outside and run around. If Eva was lucky, the fight was over for the day. If she wasn't so lucky, another fight would ensue, and she would have to do the same old thing over again.

Tonight, she was lucky. The boys came in for the night laughing and hungry. It only made it better for Eva that they were also tired. She tucked them in later that night, and left, knowing all too well that they would be up for awhile longer talking.

***

Dante couldn't sleep. He kept rolling and sighing. His blankets were getting tangled around his body. It was very late at night. He sat up a little so he could look across to Vergil's bed. It was silent and still. Vergil must have been sleeping. Dante rolled around again, trying to get comfortable. His brain wouldn't shut down, and all he could do was think.

"Dante, go to sleep," Vergil whispered.

"But I can't!"

"Well, neither can I with your noise! Just sit still and be quiet, then you'll fall asleep."

"But brother, I tried already!"

He heard Vergil sigh. After a moment, he didn't get a response from his older twin. Dante twitched his nose. He silently got out of bed, and made his way across their dark room to Vergil's bed. He crawled into bed with his brother.

Vergil's normal response was a growl, and that's just what he did as he scooted over for Dante. Dante snuggled close, but still found it hard to sleep.

"You're pillow is softer than mine," Dante mumbled.

"Is not," Vergil sighed.

"Is too!"

"Dante, go to sleep, please!" Vergil groaned, rolling over so he could face his brother in the bed.

"We're different…aren't we?" Dante murmured.

Vergil grunted, "What?"

"You and me…we're different from other people…other kids."

"What has you thinking that?" Vergil asked, his tone sharpening.

"Vergil, you're smart…what's a…half-breed?" Dante asked quietly.

Dante heard his brother draw a sharp breath, and then growl. Vergil grabbed Dante by the collar of his bedtime shirt.

"Who said that to you?" Vergil demanded.

"But, brother, I-"

"I said who?!" he hissed.

"Mr. Jonas said it to me this morning. He doesn't like us, does he? What is a half-breed, anyways?"

"Don't listen to that old geezer. He knows nothing," heaved Vergil.

"Are you sure?"

"Sure I'm sure. I mean, I'm your brother."

"Yeah, thanks, Vergil."

"Dante?"

"Yeah?"

"If anyone ever says that to you again…come and tell me, okay? Mom wouldn't understand, but I will."

"I will," sighed Dante, and finally felt sleepy now. He yawned, and snuggled close to his big brother. Dante finally drifted off into a restful sleep, now that his mind was cleared of the unsure.

When Dante awoke late the next morning, due to his late bedtime, he was alone in the house. He went outside to see a huge crowd around Mr. Jonas's house. It was burnt completely to the ground. Priests and healers were dragging a bloody, burnt carcass out of the rubble. Dante was horrified; it was Mr. Jonas.

As he found his mother, she was shaking her head with a sad face. There was so much going on, so many people talking, that Dante couldn't tell what happened. He looked up to his mom.

"Momma, what happened?"

"Mr. Jonas got killed in a spontaneous fire just hours ago. It came out of nowhere. Arson, maybe? Where's your brother at?"

"I thought he would be with you," Dante replied, looking around for his twin.

"I'm here!" Vergil called, weaving through the crowd to them. He almost bumped into Dante coming to a stop.

"Good, I was getting worried," sighed Eva. She then saw one of her friends. "Oh, Julia! You boys stay right here."

She headed off to go talk to Julia, another woman of the town around Eva's age with her own children. Vergil glared smugly at Mr. Jonas's scorched corpse.

"Serves him right for being mean to you."

"But, Vergil…"

Vergil put his arm around Dante's neck, and pulled their heads close. Dante stared into Vergil's eyes. The twins were silent and still, locked in the other's gaze.

"Don't worry about it, bro! Let's go play for a bit."

Vergil headed off towards their house. Dante watched him go, hesitating with a shallow breath. It wasn't that their mother told them to stay put. She should've seen it coming with them running off. That wasn't what made Dante hesitate. Dante stared at his older twin's retreating back. Deep down in the pit of his stomach, Dante knew that Vergil was the cause of Mr. Jonas's death…

* * *

**I decided to put up Chapter 2 just to let all of you get into it a bit more. This is rated M for a reason by the way, between Dante and Lady's mouth, to all of the blood and what not. In this chapter is the very first flashback! Yay! Don't worry, this story gets better! I'm not too good at getting a story started, but once I have a few chapters down, it gets good lol. Thank you for reading and reviewing! Go Dante/Lady!!!**


	3. Chapter 3: Brotherly Chat

**Chapter 3: Brotherly Chat**

Dante groaned as his eyes fluttered open. He recognized the ceiling of his bedroom, and slowly moved to sit up. He had no pain, just dizziness. Those dreams he had…of him and Vergil…they were supposed to be locked up in the back of his mind. Why, all of a sudden, was he dreaming of the past?

He quickly forgot all about it when he saw a crashed out Lady sitting up against the bed. Her head and arms were on the bed, and she was snoozing good, but the rest of her body was sitting on the floor.

Dante smirked and moved right on into her face. He lightly brushed back her hair, and she started to stir. When her eyes started to open, Dante only grinned bigger.

"Morning, sleeping beauty," he greeted.

She drew back quickly from the closeness he was. She glared at him, and got to her feet with a wince. Dante watched her, and did not move from the bed.

"Finally awake, are you?" she asked.

"How long was I out?" Dante asked.

Lady looked at her wristwatch. "Almost a whole day. It's already late evening. You got knocked out late last night at the church."

Dante was surprised. He was never out cold for that long. Whatever hit him, hit him good. He couldn't really remember the details either. Dante was so quickly thrown into unconsciousness. That was unlike him, but he knew it wasn't the demon in front of him that he saw. Something came up behind him and struck him out…something extremely powerful.

"What happened?"

"You ran straight into the heat of battle; a demon knocked you out."

Dante knew better. Lady was keeping something from him. He squinted an eye at her. He thought he should ask her about the church first, and then get to the end.

"What was really up with the church?"

Lady sighed, "Dante, it's complicated."

"Bullshit," Dante growled, getting to his feet. He wanted to make sure Lady couldn't leave until she told him the truth.

Lady put her gaze to the ground. She seemed real upset. She bit her lip. Dante put his hand under her chin, and gently raised her head so their eyes could meet. "You think I'm going to be mad at you or something? You know you can tell me anything, babe."

She jerked away from him, but it wasn't because she was angry. Maybe she was uncomfortable. She sighed heavily.

"The preacher of the church used to be a friend of my father's. I heard some strange things about the church, and was sure if my father was involved with this preacher, then he was bad news too…and I was right."

"The preacher was there?" Dante inquired.

"Yeah, he drew the portal. He was dead when you went in. That demon you rushed for…the one that had the deer skull for a head…that was Angulus. He's no ordinary demon."

"Angulus," Dante mumbled, thinking. He looked to the gorgeous Lady once again. "And what about the one that hit me in the back?"

Lady blinked at him. She seemed a little confused. Dante studied her closely, and knew she was hiding something. He knew her body language all too well. He knew Lady all too well.

"There wasn't one. Just Angulus."

"And how do you know his name was Angulus?"

"Because I fought him off of you," Lady growled.

"That's it! You are not leaving this room until you tell me the whole story. You are keeping something from me!" Dante barked.

"Yeah, right."

Sure enough, Lady tried to leave. Dante slipped in front of her. He slammed his bedroom door shut and stood there. When she tried to fight him, Dante just pushed her down to the bed. He leaned on the door, glaring at her.

A whole ten minutes of tensed silence ensued. Finally, Lady had enough and got to her feet. They were both stubborn and bull-headed. They argued a lot, but still managed to be the best of allies.

"Alright…I'll tell you, but you have to promise me something, Dante."

Dante went straight up to her, stopping only when their bodies were centimeters apart. He looked down at her, even though Lady kept her eyes to the floor.

"What?"

Lady looked him in the eyes. "Promise me…you won't freak out, and go off on your own. You can't just leave me out of this."

"I would never freak out on you, Lady. And I definitely wouldn't forget about you," Dante stated, even though her look said otherwise.

Lady let out a long, smooth sigh. "Vergil…knocked you out. He hit you from behind before you could strike Angulus."

Dante felt his eye and his fingers twitch. He was right! His brother had been at the cathedral! Now he suddenly felt annoyed, and glared at Lady.

"You weren't going to tell me that my brother almost killed me?!"

"Only 'cause I knew you'd freak out, like this!"

Dante swallowed hard, trying to get calm. "What happened when I got knocked out?"

"I ran up. Angulus had already escaped."

"And Vergil?"

"What the hell do you think? I shot at him!"

"You shot at Vergil?! How stupid can you get?!" Dante yelled. He didn't mean for it to come out like that. He was just worried. Lady wouldn't last seconds up against his older twin. And shooting a gun at him was the absolute worst thing you could do to provoke Vergil.

"Excuse me?! I was trying to protect you!" Lady hissed.

"Well, what happened after you shot at him?" Dante growled.

Lady grew quiet. She thinned her lips as she thought. Dante punched the wall beside them, making her jump.

"The truth, Lady!"

Lady sighed softly. She slowly sat down at the edge of Dante's bed. She pulled out a card from her pocket and handed it over to the devil hunter.

"When I shot at him, he just blocked all my bullets with his katana. He then picked you up. I thought he was going to take you away, and I freaked out. But he…he put you down by my bike and waited. When I caught up, he tossed me that card."

Dante studied the old, tarot-looking card. It showed the same deer skulled demon that Dante ran in to fight before he blacked out. The name under the demon read Angulus. He looked back up at Lady.

"That's how I knew the demon's name," Lady stated.

"Then what happened? Did he say anything?" Dante asked, for some reason wanting to be hopeful, but knowing better than to count on Vergil. They were enemies.

"Yeah…he said 'make sure he wakes up by tomorrow. Tell him to meet me at the ruins of Temen-ni-gru at nightfall…alone'."

Dante swallowed hard. Vergil wanted to meet with him alone? This sounded bad, considering Vergil knocked him out cold not even 24 hours ago. Still, in some twisted way, Dante was relieved to be able to see Vergil again.

Dante looked out the window. The sun was disappearing fast. Dante would have to leave shortly if he was to meet Vergil at the ruins of Temen-ni-gru.

"I wonder what he would've done if you hadn't woke up in time," Lady whispered.

Dante peered at her. "He would've come straight here. He knows this place. And if I had still been knocked out…there's no telling what he would've done to you."

"I'm coming with you to meet him," Lady stated decisively.

Dante shot her a look. "The hell you're not! What part of 'come alone' do you not understand?"

"I'm not going to let you go out there by yourself!"

Dante smiled softly. He was extremely flattered by Lady's rare boast of her true feelings. However, he couldn't risk her coming with him if Vergil was involved. He didn't want her to get hurt, or worse, killed.

"Thanks, babe, but no. I can't risk Vergil hurting you. I will come straight back home afterwards, promise."

"It's not you that I don't trust, it's him!" Lady spat.

Dante had little time left. He quickly took the chance, just in case he wasn't coming back alive from seeing Vergil, and grabbed Lady into a hug. He kissed her forehead, and was out of the bedroom in seconds. Lady had been stunned by the kiss, and when she heard the sudden crank of her motorcycle engine, she bolted through the rooms. By the time she had burst through the front doors, Dante was speeding off down the street, heading for the ruins of Temen-ni-gru.

***

Dante parked the motorcycle and killed the engine. The ruins of Temen-ni-gru sat in dark silence. The city had built around its devastation. Sadly enough, that was only three years ago when Vergil and Arkham raised the tower. Barely a year later, he met Trish and went to Malay Island to destroy Mundus. Not even a year after that, Dante went to Dumary Island with Lucia and destroyed Arius. And here he was today, but for how long? Dante wasn't stupid. Vergil had something planned. And more than likely, Dante's very life was in danger right now.

"I was starting to think you wouldn't show up," came the all too familiar voice of his older twin.

Dante's heart jolted and his skin shivered. He slowly turned to face Vergil. He stood only twenty feet away. After the small amount of time that had passed since their last meeting, he hadn't changed.

"Well, well, so you were the one who gave me the bump on my head," Dante greeted with snide.

He saw Vergil twitch a barely noticeable smirk. "My apologies…I didn't want Angulus to kill you on the spot."

"And we both know that's not true," Dante snorted.

Cool, calm, and collected Vergil gave no sign of wanting to fight. Still, Dante knew his brother and his tricks. He was ready for anything. Vergil only sighed at him.

"It may be. It may not. The point is Dante, that Angulus is extremely dangerous, and he's not even the one we have to worry about."

"Ooh, there's more? Please do enlighten me, big brother."

"A demon by the name of Deterion has come into this world. Angulus is his partner."

"Let me guess…they're planning on either opening the portal to the worlds, or they just want to kill this world," Dante guessed dully.

He saw Vergil smirk again, and he softly chuckled. "Actually, no, not that I know of. The only reason they are here is to kill _you_."

"Me? What the hell did I do? And why aren't they going after you?"

Vergil heaved a sigh, "They want _both_ of us dead. It's revenge on Sparda. For what I don't know, but I'm sure we can both guess."

"Boring!" Dante exclaimed with a smile. Two demons who are going to come to him; piece of cake.

He saw his brother's eyes sharpen. "Do not underestimate them, Dante. These two were Mundus's generals at one time."

"And why the hell should I believe you?" Dante growled. His finger twitched to grab a hold of his pistol, but he held himself back. He wanted to prevent a fight with Vergil as best as he could for right now.

Vergil lowered his eyes to the ground. Dante watched him closely. Vergil held the Yamato tightly in his right hand. If Dante wasn't careful, that blade could be to his throat in milliseconds.

"Dante…I-" Vergil murmured, but then his head shot up quickly.

Dante saw his twin's eyes flash dangerously, and his grip tightened around the katana. Dante slowly put his hand to Ivory, ready to draw. He heard Vergil growl lowly.

"I told you to come alone," he seethed.

"I did," Dante answered sharply.

"Tell that to your consort," Vergil hissed.

Dante dared to look where Vergil was. He saw Lady slowly show herself from behind a large rock of Temen-ni-gru. She had her guns aimed and ready at Vergil. Dante's heart leaped. He told her to stay put! Now it was going to be impossible to prevent a fight with Vergil.

"Lady! What the hell are you doing?!"

"What's it look like?!" she spat.

He saw Vergil click up the blade of Yamato from its sheath. He was getting annoyed very quickly. Dante had to think of something fast, or Lady was mincemeat.

"Lady, lower your weapon, now."

"Are you serious?! No way! He's our enemy!"

"I said lower your weapon, _now_," Dante hissed, glancing back to Vergil. If Lady would lower her weapons, then Vergil would calm down at least a little bit.

Lady hesitated, and then, to Dante's relief, lowered her guns. Dante slowly walked, so as to not trigger Vergil, over to Lady, and made sure she was behind him. Vergil hid the blade back in the sheath, but he was still tense.

Lady tried to come around to Dante's side, but Dante wouldn't let her. He kept his eyes on his brother. After a long, tense moment, Vergil lowered Yamato back to his side and was calm. Dante let loose a relieved breath.

"She came on her own accord," Dante said lowly.

"Yes, but she knew I wanted you here alone. I told her," Vergil growled.

"I'm part of this whether you like it or not!" Lady exclaimed.

Dante gave her a warning look, even though he should have known better. Lady's words only seemed to annoy Vergil. Dante put his arm out in front of Lady.

"If you have a problem with her, Vergil, then take it out on me. Otherwise, it looks like all three of us are staying right here," Dante said.

Vergil looked like he had something to say, but he held his tongue for some reason. He glared at Lady, then to his little brother.

"Very well," Vergil grumbled.

Dante was actually surprised. Lady clenched her jaw so hard, Dante feared she would break it. She would not take her eyes off of Vergil, which was smart.

"I would invite you back for a cup of tea, but my girl probably won't approve," Dante said with a smirk. He ignored Lady's harsh look.

Vergil chuckled softly, startling Lady and relieving Dante. "That's okay, maybe next time. I have business to attend to. Let's meet up here at the same time in two days. I should have more information by then."

As Vergil started to head off by himself, Dante stared after him. His heart clenched, and he took a step toward his brother. Lady took his wrist to stop him.

"Why?" Dante asked.

Vergil paused, but he didn't look back. "It's just something I have to do. Besides, only I'm allowed to kill you, no one else. And I'm sure you completely agree the same towards me. So let's work together to destroy this threat, and then we can get back to family matters."

Vergil then went off, disappearing into the darkness of night. Dante was somewhat puzzled by Vergil's words, but he was also oddly satisfied. A small smile crept onto Dante's lips.

"Sounds fun."

* * *

**Hmm....can Vergil be trusted? Poor Dante will now have to not only put up with Lady, but his twin brother now. Oh, and it will only get better. Next chapter an old friend returns, and she will definitely be good help when the time comes for Deterion and Angulus to make their appearance...**


	4. Chapter 4: The Return of Trish

**Chapter 4: The Return of Trish**

Dante and Lady returned to Devil May Cry in one piece. Dante's head was swirling with thoughts of Vergil and this new crisis that he knew nothing about. Lady sat down on one of the couches to the side of Dante's desk and phone. Dante, being absent-minded at the moment, headed right past her. He went to the tiny kitchen and got a couple of beers.

He came back and sat down by Lady. He handed her a bottle after opening it for her. He opened his own and took a drink. He was staring blankly at the nearest wall. Lady took a sip, watching him closely.

"You okay?" she inquired.

Dante blinked out of his trance. He smiled at her. "Sorry, thinking."

"Uh-oh, that's not good."

Her tone was sweet along with her smile. Dante knew she was trying to cheer him up by joking. A good twenty minutes went by, and the two were mainly silent. When Lady finished her beer, she threw the bottle away.

Dante watched her gather her weapons. He got up and went over to his desk. He sat his bottle down on the desk, next to the phone. He gave her an innocent look when she came over to him.

"Where are you going? You're supposed to be spending the night with me, _babe_."

"I did spend the night with you…last night. You were unconscious, remember?" Lady replied with a smile.

"That doesn't count."

"Why not?"

"Because I wasn't awake to enjoy it."

"That was your fault."

"Actually, that was my brother's fault," Dante stated with a smile, only to scowl a moment later. He lowered his gaze, thoughts drifting back to Vergil. Lady saw this, and sighed.

"You know, maybe I should stay with you. There are demons who want you dead, plus Vergil's around. I just can't leave you by yourself. So, hate to say it, but you're stuck with me."

"Wow, thanks babe."

"None of that," Lady sighed, putting away her weapons. "And none of your tricks either. I can always change my mind."

"Must you always rain on my parade?"

"In that case, I'm taking a shower," Lady said, and was off for the back of the building where the living quarters were. She would keep her things and weapons in the guest bedroom. Dante followed her all the way to the bathroom.

"Do you mind?" she grumbled.

"But I gotta go, baby."

He probably could've gotten away with it if he hadn't of said baby. Lady glared at him while blocking the way to the bathroom. Before Dante could say anything, she shut the door in his face. Dante held back a growl. He heard Lady's voice from the other side.

"You're a man. Go outside."

Dante sighed at the door. He then went into his room. He crashed out on his bed to wait for her to get out. But the longer he laid there, the more tired he felt.

He didn't understand Lady at times. They were the greatest of friends and comrades. After the Temen-ni-gru incident where they met, they had for the most part, stuck together. Dante wanted Lady so bad. And he knew that she knew that as well. Dante had feelings for her that he had never had for someone before.

However, no matter how much Dante tried, she fought him. He didn't know if it was because she was afraid or what. Dante didn't give up, and never would. He knew better than anyone else that if there is something you want, then you fight for it. Lady and Dante have been playing this very fight for a long while now. Dante knew that one day he would win, and Lady would give in. Until then, he had to be patient and control the game.

Dante heard a noise in the kitchen and jumped awake. He didn't know how long he had been asleep. He jumped out of bed and quickly went into the kitchen. He found Lady rummaging for food.

"There's leftover pizza in the fridge," he said softly. His sudden voice made her jump, and she pulled a knife out as she spun.

Upon realizing it was Dante, she sat the knife back down. Dante walked up to her. He chuckled softly.

"That knife is dull, sweetie. If you decide to pull a knife from this kitchen as a weapon, then you're out of luck. All of them are dull."

"Don't tell me all you have is pizza?"

All Lady had on was a bedtime shirt and some boxers. Dante tried to hold himself back from looking her over. He didn't feel like getting slapped at the moment. Other times he wouldn't have cared, knowing the consequences, but hey, he enjoyed them.

"Well, not really. But if you want something, I can get it for you."

Lady smiled, but her eyes fell to the floor. Dante inched closer until their bodies were centimeters apart. He gingerly put their foreheads together. But before Dante could kiss her, she opened the fridge door behind her and moved away. Dante bit his tongue and looked down.

"No, thanks. Pizza will be fine," she whispered.

Dante watched her get a plate of leftover pizza and heat it up in the microwave. He even watched her as she headed past him out of the kitchen. Dante followed her all the way into her room. She had tried to kick the door shut behind her, but Dante caught it. He stood in the threshold staring in at her as she sat down on the bed.

She gave him the look that told him to stop. Dante swallowed back the strong, mixed feelings he was getting as he stared at her.

"Dante, please," she murmured.

"Thank you, Lady…for watching over me last night."

"You-you're welcome."

"And thanks for being there for me with Vergil, even though I told you to stay put. It really meant a lot to me, but I just don't want you to risk your life."

"Dante, we're in this together. We got each other's back, right?"

"Of course," Dante answered, smiling. He then chuckled lowly. "Consort…I like that."

Lady rolled her eyes. "Figures you would."

"How about a goodnight kiss?"

"I'll take a rain check on that," she said quickly.

"Ooh, a rain check. That means you have to do it sooner or later, especially if it rains."

"I should've just said no," she muttered.

"Maybe you should have, 'cause now you're in a predicament," Dante said with a smirk.

"Goodnight, Dante."

"Goodnight, babe."

He shut her door, and still heard her growl of annoyance at his remark. His smile only widened and he went back to his own bedroom. He laid down for more sleep. Even though he had awoke from being knocked out for a long while, he still felt tired for some reason. He figured it was Vergil stressing him. He was never one to stress, but for right now, Dante couldn't stop thinking about his twin.

***

"Miriam, it's been so long! It's good to see you again!" Eva exclaimed, hugging her old friend.

Miriam, a brown haired woman the same age as Eva, hugged right back. They were childhood friends. Miriam ironically had just moved into town through family business. It had been her hometown growing up, and was now back.

"Oh, I have missed you so much, Eva! You look so great! And who are these handsome little devils?"

Dante and Vergil drew back. Dante felt his eye twitch as the lady drew closer. She squealed in delight. Eva only giggled and blushed.

"Those are my two sons; they're twins. This one here is my oldest, Vergil, and this is Dante."

"They are so cute! I have a little daughter, you know. She's with her father right now, but you should meet her. She's Gerin's daughter. You remember Gerin, don't you?"

Eva smiled. "You married Gerin?! Oh, I knew it! You know, we're having a festival tonight. It'll be good to go together. We can catch up and have some fun! And I know the boys would just love to play with your daughter!"

Vergil and Dante glared at each other. They were hiding behind their mother to keep away from the excited Miriam. Dante gave a disgusted look, while Vergil put his finger in his mouth.

"Yuck," Vergil muttered.

"I hate girls!" Dante hissed.

"That sounds just wonderful! I'll bring Rosie and Gerin over to your house this evening so we can go together! Sound good?"

"Oh, definitely! See you tonight!"

***

Vergil and Dante fought over their hiding spot. Miriam, Gerin, and Rosie had decided to come over today. It had only been a month since the festival, and it seemed that every hour of the day, they were being tortured by Miriam's daughter Rosie.

Vergil shoved Dante, and Dante shoved back. They were hiding under Dante's bed in their room, trying to hide from the giggling Rosie. The only reason they were under Dante's bed was because he had all kinds of junk under it to help hide them. Vergil's was too neat and clean to hide under.

"Back off! This is my bed!" Dante whispered harshly.

"It stinks under here! How can you stand this?!" Vergil hissed.

"Well, if you don't like it, then get out! Ooh! There's the other half of my sandwich I lost last week!"

Dante picked it up. He went to eat it, but Vergil hit it out of his hand. Dante glared at his big brother.

"Are you sick in the head?! That's disgusting!"

"Oh boys! Where are you?! I want to play!" Rosie shrieked.

Rosie was a little terror. With golden curls and big blue eyes, she was hyper and too happy. She wore the craziest dresses, and loved dolls. All she wanted to do was kiss and hug on Vergil and Dante.

The twins drew back as far as they could as they saw her little feet run by the bed. She ran out of their room yelling. Vergil shivered in disgust.

"I'm scared!" Dante exclaimed.

"We have to get outside! We can run to our hiding spot. She'll never find us there!"

"But she's a girl! She has mutant abilities and a good nose! She'll hunt us down!"

Vergil heaved a sigh. "She's not going to be able to catch up with us. Now we have to work together. Follow my lead, okay?"

"Why do you always get to lead?"

"Because I'm older."

"Only by a minute." "No, I'm older by 43 minutes," Vergil corrected.

"Are not."

"Are too!"

"Are not!"

"Just do as I do, Dante!"

"Fine, but next time, I'm leader!"

Vergil slowly started to crawl out from under the bed. While doing so, he came across one of his toys.

"Dante! This is mine!"

"No, its not."

"Yes, it is! It's been missing for almost two weeks! You stole it!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"I must've accidentally swept it under here when we were cleaning our room. Sorry, you can have it back."

"If you would actually _clean _your side," heaved Vergil. "This place is just crawling with disease. I better not touch it…I don't know where it's been."

Vergil forgot about his toy and got out. Dante quickly followed. The twins bailed down stairs. In the living room, Eva, Miriam, and Gerin were talking. They saw Rosie pouting next to her father. Vergil smiled and looked to his brother.

"Good, we can just cross to the front door. I'll go first, and then I'll tell you when it's safe."

"I don't trust you! You're going to get her to come after me! Pinkie promise, bro!"

Vergil growled, and then sighed. The brothers twisted their fingers and shook on it. Vergil darted across the doorway to the living room and to the front door. He peeked into the living room and saw that Rosie wasn't looking. Vergil gave the signal.

Dante wasn't paying attention. He was swatting at a moth that was bugging him. Vergil growled in annoyance. He tried to hiss at Dante, but to no avail.

"Pst! Dante! Hurry!"

"Oh, right!"

As he ran across, they heard the scariest sound of all…Rosie's squealing laughter. They heard her footsteps pounding their way. Dante ran into Vergil, and they ran for it out the front door.

"I told you she would get us!" Dante yelled.

"If you had been paying attention this wouldn't have happened!" Vergil barked.

"Boys, wait up! I wanna play!" Rosie cried.

Vergil did the only thing that came to mind. He tripped his own brother to save himself. Dante yelped and went down. Vergil laughed as he kept running. He suddenly went down with Dante. Dante had grabbed Vergil's leg.

The boys started to wrestle on the ground, trying to beat the other down so they could get up and escape. Rosie was catching up fast. The twins struggled more, watching as the little girl terror came up to them.

***

Dante awoke so suddenly, he was up in a second. He already had Ebony and Ivory cocked and ready. He could see just fine in the dark, and immediately went out of his room. He had heard a noise come from the front office. He left Lady be.

He didn't know who or what the intruder was. It could've been Vergil, or the demons Deterion and Angulus, or something else. He creaked the door open. The office sat in dark silence. Dante held his breath and waited. He saw a silhouette move across him by the pool table.

He quickly slipped in, and moved for his desk. Before he could aim and shoot, the intruder tripped over something and cursed. Dante relaxed to much relief. He knew that voice anywhere. He clicked on the lamp on his desk.

Trish squeaked and spun around, aiming her gun. She calmed down upon seeing Dante. Dante smiled at his old comrade. Trish had an annoyed look on her pretty face as she came up to the son of Sparda.

"This place is a dump! I stubbed my toe on that stupid drum set."

"I thought you could see in the dark," Dante chuckled.

"Yeah, but you can't see around your junk in the daytime, let alone at night!"

"It's been awhile, Trish. Can I get you something?"

"Well, since you asked. I could really go for a beer," Trish laughed.

Dante smiled. Trish and Dante went to the kitchen. Just as Dante opened Trish's beer and handed it to her, Lady came into the kitchen. She yawned, and scratched her nose.

"Wow, I hope I wasn't intruding on anything," Trish said impishly with a smirk.

Lady gave her good friend a stare down. Dante chuckled himself and shook his head with a sigh.

"Are you kidding? I can't even get her to give me a goodnight kiss."

"That's too bad," Trish giggled.

"You two think you're funny, but you're not," Lady huffed.

Dante shrugged. "Maybe one day though, Trish."

While Trish laughed, Lady hissed in anger. She grabbed an empty beer bottle and threw it at Dante. Dante evaded only for the bottle to shatter on the cabinets where his head had been. This only made Trish laugh more.

"Jerk!" Lady barked, and left.

"Geez. I was only joking," Dante sighed.

"You have rotten luck with women," Trish stated.

"No, I have rotten luck with _her_," Dante sighed. He then shook his head and looked to the woman that was the spitting image of his mother, Eva. "Trish, why are you here? Is something wrong?"

"You wouldn't believe who I met yesterday."

"Vergil…"

"Wow, good guess. How'd you know?"

"I had a talk with him this evening. He knocked me unconscious last night at a church Lady and I checked out. He told me about Deterion and Angulus," Dante explained.

"See? And that's exactly why I came here; to warn you. Vergil came to me yesterday afternoon. I had just got back in town. I heard from other sources about Deterion's return."

"Did you have a nice chat with my brother?" Dante chuckled.

"Are you kidding? You guys are polar opposites. I don't think he likes me too much either."

"He doesn't like anybody…and it could also be that you look exactly like mom. I'm sure that makes him uncomfortable. I mean, it took me awhile to get over being uncomfortable with you."

"You're still are sometimes," Trish laughed.

"Yeah, when you act like my mother," Dante sighed.

Trish yawned. "Sorry, but I'll explain more tomorrow. I take it Lady's got the extra bedroom, huh?"

"Yeah, she won't sleep with me," Dante said with a cheesy grin.

"You're bad," sighed Trish, shaking her head.

They went to Lady's room. Dante knocked on the door. After a moment, Lady answered. She gave careful looks to both Dante and Trish. Dante winked at Trish.

"Trish wants to stay the night. So, I was wondering…if you would like to sleep with me tonight so Trish could have this room."

Trish smacked her forehead. She gave Dante her own look, but it wasn't near as bad as Lady's. Trish heaved a sigh.

"Lady, pay no attention to him. We're friends, we can share the bed. It's no problem."

Lady suddenly got a strange look in her eyes, and she smiled. "No, no, it's quite alright, Trish. You take this room. I'll sleep with Dante."

As Lady slipped past Dante and Trish, Dante stared after her. He smirked to Trish while she gave him a dull look in return.

"That went better than I thought," he snickered.

"She has something up her sleeve…have fun. Goodnight."

"Night, Trish."

Dante went to his room. He closed the door behind him. Lady was lying on his bed. Dante smirked at her. He slowly sat down on his bed.

"Well, well, I get a sleeping buddy tonight."

He went to lay completely down on his own bed, but before he could, Lady kicked out her legs and sent him to the floor. Dante hit his head on the table stand next to the bed. He sat up and glared at Lady.

"Ow!"

"I get the bed, you get the floor."

"What?! No way! This is my bed!"

"Too bad!"

Dante crawled into his bed. Lady kicked him in the chest. He kept coming closer to her. Finally she kept her foot to his chest and held Dante there. She glared at him.

"Dante!" "Babe!"

"Dante!"

"Babe!"

"Dante!"

"Baby!"

"Trish!"

They both paused and looked over. Trish was standing in the threshold, arms folded while she leaned against the frame. She had the most satisfied and mischievous look on her face. Lady huffed and became bright red. She completely kicked Dante off of his bed.

"Now this just won't do," sighed Dante.

"Down boy," Trish chuckled. "Just sleep on the floor. I'm sure it's payback for something you did to her. She's teasing you…smart girl."

Trish left and closed the door behind her. As the door was closing, Lady yelled out at Trish's back.

"I'm not teasing him!"

"Fine, whatever," mumbled Dante. He laid down on the floor after stealing one of his pillows. Lady turned out the light, and went to sleep in Dante's bed. Dante waited quietly.

* * *

**Geez, Lady is angry! Lol, now that Trish is here, things will start to get a little more interesting! I just hope I don't decide to torture Dante too much. Hahaha! Thanks for reading and reviewing! Next chapter shall be up soon!!!!!!!!!!!!**


	5. Chapter 5: Clues

**Chapter 5: Clues**

Lady stirred in her slumber. After a restful night, her eyes fluttered open to bright morning. She tried to move, but there was weight on her. Growling, she looked over to see what it was.

Dante was curled up next to her asleep. He looked so peaceful and sweet. Lady's eye twitched, and she did immediate instinct.

Trish was in the kitchen making some breakfast when she heard Lady scream. There was a crash, a bang, and then Dante's yelping. Trish smiled and went back to breakfast while humming. She got each of them a plate and drink. As she sat down at the small table, Lady came storming in.

"Morning, Lady!" Trish chirped, knowing that Lady was pissed.

"That dirty, low, mangy, trashy, perverted wolf!" Lady snarled. Steam was pouring out of her ears. Trish handed Lady her plate and glass. Lady took it gratefully and started to eat. Trish was an excellent cook. She made eggs and bacon with some toast. Lady was surprised Dante had this kind of food in his house.

Dante was next to enter. Trish almost choked on her orange juice. He had a bump on his head, along with a swelled cheek and eye. He sat as far away from Lady as he could get.

"Wow, good morning, Dante." "Morning, Trish," sighed Dante.

"I take it you snuck into bed with her last night when she was asleep?" Trish asked, looking through the newspaper.

"Yep."

"You arrogant jerk! I should've done more than just that to you!"

"Chill out, babe! It's not like I touched you or anything! I just wanted in my bed!"

"Touch me?! You were completely up against me! I couldn't move! I think that's considered touching, Dante!"

"Sheesh, sorry! You're cuddly, okay?!"

Trish was trying not to laugh, or smile for that matter as she flipped through the pages. Lady glared at Dante with fire. Trish thought it was funny how Dante always got himself into trouble with this girl. He never gave up though; she had to give him that. And it wasn't like Lady didn't like Dante. Trish knew for a fact that Lady felt the same way as Dante. Why Lady held back was completely unknown to Trish. However, she knew that Dante would keep playing and playing this very game until Lady gave in.

"Hmm, the Cubs won the game," Trish stated simply, and turned the page.

"That's nice to know, Trish."

"Why don't you call her babe or baby? Or any of those names you call me, huh?" Lady growled.

Trish smuggled a laugh, but that was it. She wasn't going to get into this. She kept her eyes on the newspaper. Dante's laugh was louder, and he shook his head at Lady.

"Are you kidding me? Trish is like a sister to me, why would I call her one of those names? Besides, she looks exactly like my mother…it would just be plain creepy."

"More than creepy," sighed Trish, and flipped another page. "Aw! They got pug puppies for sale in here! How cute!"

"See? Even Trish agrees!" Dante exclaimed.

"You know what this reminds me of?" Trish asked.

"What?" Lady asked.

"That show 'Three's Company'. That was a good show," Trish answered, and flipped another page.

"Oh yeah. Thanks, Trish," sighed Dante.

"Well, I know who Dante is," Lady muttered.

"Who's that?"

"You are definitely Jack."

"And who would you be exactly?" Dante asked.

"Janet of course," Lady snorted. "Brunette and smart."

Dante and Lady looked to Trish. Trish yawned, and flipped another page. "If either one of you even suggest that I would be Chrissy, then be prepared to get electrocuted."

"You're the one who mentioned it!" Dante growled.

"You would be Terri, I guess," Lady sighed.

Trish laughed, "I guess so. Better than Chrissy or Cindy."

Lady got up and put her dishes in the sink. She thanked Trish for the good breakfast, and went for the kitchen's exit. She gave one last glare to Dante.

"I'm jumping in the shower. I will be locking the door, so, Trish, if you need to go to the bathroom, you are going to have to knock."

"Alright, Lady."

Dante put his dishes up, and sat back down next to Trish. Trish was still reading through the newspaper. When Dante heard the shower start, he heaved a sigh. Trish looked up from the paper. She smiled softly, and put it down. It was good to see that his bruises from Lady were already going away.

"Maybe you're coming on too strongly," she suggested.

"Strongly? Are you kidding? I'm holding back!"

Trish raised her eyebrows in surprise and looked away. Dante slammed his fist down on the table and got up. Trish followed him out to the office. Dante sat at his desk, legs propped up. Trish leaned up on the desk.

"You suck at treating women right, Dante."

"What?!" Dante was offended. "I treat you two the very best!"

"That's not what I mean. Maybe if you would act more…formal…or ah, proper…like a gentleman. Maybe that would get her to come around better."

"Do I look like Vergil to you?" Dante asked with a growl. Trish gave him a dull look. "Wait, don't answer that."

"Good, 'cause I was getting ready to ask you if that was a trick question," Trish said with a smile.

"Thanks for the advice, Trish, but I got this. It's only a matter of time before Lady will crack. No proper crap…just me and my charm." "Oh boy," Trish heaved while rolling her eyes.

"I mean it. If I was to start acting like a proper gentleman, Lady would know something was up. I better just act myself, and hope the day will come."

"I didn't say you had to completely change. Just do little sweet things. You know, simple but meaningful. That should make her start to warm up to you a little better."

"Wow, if she found out you were helping me on this, she would get pissed," chuckled Dante.

Trish heaved a sigh. When Lady came in all dressed and clean, Trish left to go take her own shower. There was nothing but silence between Dante and Lady while Trish was gone. Dante didn't know what to say to her, so stared at the picture of his mother. He started to think back on his childhood days, reminding him of the dreams he had been having of him and Vergil when they were little.

Lady didn't even lean or sit on the desk next to Dante like she normally did. She laid on the couch over to the corner reading a magazine. When she would catch Dante looking at her, she would glare at him.

Dante sighed, and thought to himself. _Little nice things, huh? Like what?_

He got up. Cautiously he walked over to Lady. She looked up from her magazine at him. Dante hesitated. Boy, did he hate saying these words! He awkwardly scratched the back of his head, trying to find the best choice of words, but knowing all too well, the only ones. He swallowed his pride, feeling the almost sick-like feeling in his gut.

"I'm sorry, okay?" he mumbled.

"What?" she asked.

"I said I'm sorry." "A little louder, Dante."

"Sorry!"

The smile that formed on her lips told Dante that Lady was loving this. He growled within himself. Seeing her brighten up though, was a good sign. Lady looked back down at her magazine and flipped a page.

"I'm glad you see that you were at fault, Dante," she said with a purr of amusement. The smile on her lips was small, but unavoidable.

Dante's eye twitched, and he fought to stifle a growl. Lady knew Dante's pride was his sore spot. She was just rubbing it in his face.

Dante smirked and snorted at her. Alright, he could play her little game. He let his hands slide to the back of his head, to where he looked as carefree as ever.

"Yeah, that's okay though. I know that I have a kiss coming from you sooner or later. Rain check, remember? Hmm, I can't wait! It's supposed to rain tomorrow actually."

Lady tossed the magazine onto the coffee table while rolling her eyes. She looked up at Dante with his wide grin. She gave him a mild look.

"Dante, a rain check doesn't mean you have to do it when it rains. I have the choice when I want to do it. And I'm telling you now that it is going to be a _long_ while before you get a kiss from me."

"Then why the hell do they call it a rain check? It doesn't matter. If you don't give me one sooner or later, then I will-" Dante cut off in his sentence as an idea hit him. An evil smirk slowly curled on his lips, and his eyes held that mischievous gleam. Lady knew the look too well, and she didn't like it. "…Never mind. You're right, Lady. Whenever you're ready, you give me that kiss. I trust you to not forget that rain check."

Lady got to her feet. Her eyes were studying him closely. Dante only gave her a cheesy smile. They stared at each other, only about two feet apart.

"Dante," she said lowly. Her tone was a warning.

"Lady," Dante mocked.

"This has got to be unhealthy. I'm Trish. Can we please just remember everyone's names? You two are freaking me out!" Trish grumbled as she came into the office fully clothed and ready to go.

"What can I say? Lady loves saying my name! One day she'll be yelling it," Dante chuckled, giving Lady a wolfish smirk.

Lady glared at him, eye twitching. Her fingers automatically formed into a tight fist. Dante realized what he had just said, and paled. It was too late, however, and he was on the ground in pain in seconds. He groaned while laying there.

"You arrogant, dirty ass! You can forget about that kiss!" Lady barked, and stormed right out of Devil May Cry.

Dante looked up at Trish. She was shaking her head with her arms crossed. She sighed heavily down at him.

"Tsk, tsk. I told you, Dante…little, nice things. I think you need to learn how to think before you speak. You went from her being mad at you, to making up, then back to her being mad at you again. Now it's even worse though. You _really _need to make it up to her, you know."

Dante crawled to his feet. He nodded only a little at Trish, remaining quiet. He could've kicked himself. Trish gave a small snort of laughter. She headed for the door, blonde hair gleaming like silk down her back.

"You and your charm, hehe. You amuse me, Dante!"

***

While Trish and Lady were gone for the morning, Dante spent his time at the office getting ready. He took a cold shower (the girls hogged all the hot water), dressed, and got his weapons ready. He hardly knew what to do before his next meeting with Vergil. He had to meet his brother tomorrow night at the Temen-ni-gru ruins.

Were they supposed to look for clues about Deterion and Angulus? Was Dante supposed to carry out his daily routine of normal exterminations? He had no idea. He didn't even know what the girls were doing. If he knew Trish well, she was the one looking for clues on Deterion and Angulus. If Dante knew Lady well, she was taking her anger towards Dante out on killing demons.

Dante opened the front door to leave, and almost bumped into Enzo Ferino. The former owner of this building greeted Dante with a smile and handshake. Dante let Enzo in so they could talk.

"You seemed rushed. Am I intruding?" Enzo asked.

"No, no. I'm just confused right now. I'm trying to find my girls," Dante said with a smile.

"Oh, well, if it's any help, I saw Lady jump on her bike and head out towards the end of town, towards the west. I don't know about Trish."

_The cathedral_, Dante thought. He should've known Lady to go back for more clues, even with her angry at him. He nodded at his fellow hunter. "Thanks, Enzo. I know where she is now."

"Oh, before I forget! I tried to tell you the day before, but-"

"Yeah, sorry about that. Lady and I were just wrestling for a coin," Dante chuckled.

Enzo gave him an odd, but amused look. He chuckled softly at his friend. "Is that so? Well, a couple of days ago a red-haired girl came to my office and gave me this piece of paper to give to you. She told me to give it to you when I could, so I figured it wasn't an emergency. Anyways, here."

Enzo handed Dante the folded piece of paper. Dante was confused. Who wanted to give him a message? At least Dante could trust Enzo not to read Dante's stuff, not that Dante would care or anything. He unfolded it and read the letter. It was short and simple in pretty, feminine handwriting.

_Dante, Matier says she has seen the demons Deterion and Angulus in her dream. Deterion and Angulus were Mundus's lieutenants and personal guardians. Be careful! I will write you again soon._

_Lucia _

Dante crumbled the paper up and tossed it into the nearby trash bin. He let out a loose sigh. Enzo gave him a scowl on his handsome face.

"Is something the matter?"

"No, it's fine. That girl was Lucia. We're friends too. I just don't get why she came to you. She knows where I live. She even has my number! Oh, no offense, Enzo."

"None taken," Enzo chuckled. "Maybe I will ask her if I see her again. You have a lot of girlfriends, Dante."

"No, no…gal friends. I have rotten luck with women…namely one."

"Lady?" Enzo inquired with a smirk. His green eyes were twinkling.

Dante gave him a look. "How did you-"

"Oh, it's obvious! Well, I gotta run. If I get anymore messages from Lucia, I'll be sure to give them to you."

"Thanks, Enzo!"

***

By the time Dante had reached the cathedral, it was late evening. He was sure Lady was already gone, but then he noticed her motorcycle not too far down from the front steps. Dante entered the double doors into the front hall of the church. It was shadowy and creepy, but Dante hardly noticed.

He stopped in the middle of the main aisle, looking up at the stand where an absent preacher should have haunted. The empty rows of benches were eerie, and it made it no better from the dull, mosaic windows that depicted hypocrisy in its worst. These devil worshippers had it coming to them.

_Hmm, I should go around to the courtyard where I met Angulus and check it out. I bet that's where Lady's at_, Dante thought.

He did just that. He left the cathedral, and took the walkway around to the courtyard that was full of overgrown plants and weathered statues. There was no sign of Lady, but the devil symbol burned on the ground was still there. The dead priest was gone, but there was a puddle of blood from where he had sacrificed himself in order to summon Angulus. A cold wind swept by, making Dante pause. He wasn't chilled, but he seemed pretty wary. It was too quiet around here. He was being put on edge.

Suddenly, Dante heard a scream that came from within the dark forest just ahead. It echoed, and sounded very faint, but his keen ears caught it just fine. He knew the voice from anywhere. It was Lady!

Dante shot for the forest at full speed. All of a sudden, demons were appearing all over. They lunged for the son of Sparda with hungry screams. Dante just hacked and slashed his way through the hordes. He only cared about getting to Lady. She was in danger!

Dante ran through the black forest, using his high senses to guide him. He could see great in the dark, but he also used his hearing to lead him to Lady's yells and gunfire. He breathed in deeply to see if he could smell her blood. He did smell her blood, along with a demon's.

Dante burst into a large glade. The clearing was surrounded by dark trees. In the middle was a huge demon. The demon was snake-like and lithe, with an armored body and countless tentacles coming off its body. The tentacles moved like they had minds of their own, and they lashed out from the giant snake. The demon had its gaping jaws wide open in a sickening hiss. Gleaming fangs dripped acidic venom onto the forest floor. Giant amber eyes had cold, black slits for pupils, vicious and fierce.

Lady was being held by the ankle by one of the thrashing tentacles. The snake demon was lifting her up to its mouth to finish her off. Lady struggled to free herself. She had dropped her useless weapons to try and pry at the tentacle. When that was useless, she tried her knife, but the snake only hissed and whipped her down. Lady yelled out in pain. Her leg was bleeding severely where the tentacle had her by. She had many other wounds, but Dante prayed she wasn't poisoned. She didn't look it, but at this rate, Lady wasn't going to survive if he didn't do anything.

Dante went into battle without even analyzing it. He aimed Ebony and Ivory at the hissing monster. The devil hunter got the snake's attention. Lady noticed him too.

"Dante! Stay back! He ate the priest and dragged me all the way down here! He's poisonous!" she yelled.

"Alright, scaly-breath…let the lady go," Dante said lowly.

The demon screeched out at him in defiance, eyes blazing. The tentacles whipped Lady up into the air. The snake stretched open its mouth to catch her as she fell. Lady had nothing to save her as she fell for the demon's internal abyss.

Dante was on the move. He used his super-strength and speed to leap high into the air. He caught Lady in mid-air, and barely made it over snapping jaws. Once they were on the ground, Lady was fighting to get on her own feet. Dante let her go and went into battle.

The snake demon engaged him with malicious ferocity. Dante and Lady worked together to fight the monster. Dante switched between using his pistols and his sword to strike the beast. Lady was constantly covering him with gunfire and grenades. She could barely stand on the leg that was bleeding heavily.

Dante got hit good a couple of times, but Lady got more injured than he did. They had both been successful at evading the venomous blows of the monster. Finally, when the snake was weakening, Lady slung the Kalina Ann from her shoulder into her hands. She aimed at the roaring snake demon.

"Fire in the hole!" she called, and pulled the missile trigger.

The missile flew straight for the gaping mouth of the monster. Dante was blown onto his back from the explosion. The snake demon fell in chunks and pieces. Guts and gore went everywhere. Dante groaned, and slowly got to his feet. That missile had been a little too close for comfort for him.

"That took care of that," Lady sighed, flopping down onto her butt.

"Did you not even care that I was only feet away when you shot that?" Dante grumbled, walking over to her.

Lady shrugged, "You're like a cockroach…I knew you would survive."

"You're welcome," Dante heaved.

Lady caught her breath while off her feet. Dante couldn't tell if she was going to be able to walk or not. He thought he could use a beer about now, and maybe a shower. He was sure that explosion from the Kalina Ann singed his nose hairs.

"Can you walk?" Dante asked.

He walked over to her, ready to help her to her feet. Lady glared up at him. She smacked his hand away and got to her feet by herself. Dante gave her room.

"I can do it on my own," she growled.

"I take it you're still mad at me?" Dante asked with a sigh.

"Well, duh! Ninety percent of the time I am mad at you!"

"I said I was sorry!"

"Oh, I am not going to stand here and argue with you!"

Lady tried to walk forward to collect her weapons, but her bad leg gave way. Dante barely caught her in time. Lady hissed a curse. Dante could tell the leg was bad.

"I can walk on my own, I said!" Lady hissed.

"Yeah, right," Dante chuckled.

He picked her up bridal style. He turned to head back up to the cathedral but Lady hit him in the chest.

"My weapons!"

"Geez, alright!"

Dante flipped her over his shoulder. Lady yelped out from the sudden action. She did not like being slung over his shoulder like baggage. It was the only way that Dante could collect her guns though.

They made it back to the cathedral and Lady's motorcycle. The whole way back, Lady was complaining and hitting Dante (she was still slung over his back). Finally, he was able to put her weapons down by her bike, and get her down from his shoulder. He helped her onto her bike.

"Did you find anymore clues?" Dante asked her, glancing back up at the creepy cathedral.

"Except for the monster that tried to eat me, no," Lady heaved. She was able to connect her weapons back onto her person.

"I wonder if Trish had better luck. Hopefully my brother will tell us more tomorrow."

"Hah, funny."

Dante ignored her smart remark and thought for a moment. Maybe tomorrow Vergil would tell them more about the situation. Dante was going to try and go alone. He didn't want Lady and Trish to get involved just in case Vergil was pulling something.

"Look, I'm sure it will be alright. Now, can we please head back to your place? I'm hankering for a beer!" Lady assured. She must have noticed Dante's look of uncertainty.

Dante thought it sweet of her to comfort him like that, even though she was "mad" at him. He twitched a smile and nodded. He got on the bike and drove all the way back to Devil May Cry.

* * *

**Don't worry, I am going somewhere with this, lol. They will eventually come face to face with Deterion and Angulus, but first I just want to bring everyone into it. So, it seems now that Lucia and Matier are in on Deterion's return. Lady is mad at Dante...again...and Trish will be herself in the next chapter, lol. I like making her funny, hehehe!! She can always help to settle Dante and Lady down!! Oh, and let's not forget about Vergil. Is he friend or foe? Manipulator or Comrade? Things will start to get interesting from here on in. Oh, and if anyone is interested about having Nero and Kyrie in the story, let me know! I never planned to have them in it, but if everyone likes the idea, I will be sure to add them in! Thanks for reading and reviewing! I really appreciate it! XD**


	6. Chapter 6: Brotherly Love

**Chapter 6: Brotherly Love**

Dante and Vergil raced ahead of Eva to get to the shore of the lake. Eva didn't bother to try and catch up. She just called out to them to be careful. The twins raced each other until they came out to the shore. The lake was huge and pretty, and very much inviting on this sunny, summer day. The boys turned away from the shore and headed for the half bridge.

They came to a stop at the end, both catching their breath. They looked over the edge into the dark water. Eva was calling to them, but they took no notice.

"I bet I can beat you to that island out there in the middle of the lake, Vergil!"

"Bet you can't!"

They went to dive in, but Eva barely caught them. She heaved a sigh down at her boys. They were glaring at each other. They were determined to out swim the other.

"I don't think so, boys. If you two go past the buoy then you're both getting out. Just stay in the area, please!"

"Okay, mama," sighed Dante.

"Yeah, we will," Vergil added.

"Good!"

Eva let them go and stood up. She started down the bridge to go down to the shore. There was a good shade area under a tree where she could watch the twins play and have fun while she read and relaxed.

As she was walking away, Vergil suddenly shoved Dante over the bridge. Dante yelped and splashed into the water. Eva spun around and ran over.

"Dante! Baby, are you okay?!"

Vergil laughed, "He fell in! What a loser!"

"This water is cold! Mom! Vergil pushed me in!" Dante yelled as he swam at the base of the bridge.

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"You did too!"

"Boys! Knock it off or we are going home!"

"Yes, mama!" the twins said in unison.

***

Eva sighed as she cleaned the blood from Dante's lip. He also had a black eye. Eva was very disappointed in the boys. This fight had been very bad compared to most others. She didn't know if she was more upset with Dante starting the fight, or if she was more upset with Vergil finishing it the way he did.

"I wish you boys would grow up," Eva sighed.

"But mom, we are growing up!" Dante countered.

"That's not what I mean. You two are brothers. You shouldn't be fist fighting like this. I don't care who starts it, or what, but it's not right. Do you understand, Dante?"

"Yes, mama."

Dante was always easier to handle than Vergil. Even though Vergil was more mature and patient, there was a darkness to him that Eva didn't understand. The fact that her identical twins were polar opposites didn't make sense to her either. She just had to face the fact that her boys were growing up.

"How are you going to punish Vergil?" Dante asked curiously.

"Why don't you let me handle that? You need punishment too. You started the fight after all."

Dante groaned. Eva couldn't hide the smile that came on her face. Dante was so innocent even when proven guilty. She loved his charm and positive outlook on life. He was a good kid, she knew. Both her boys were. They just needed to be able to deal with each other better.

***

"Mom! Vergil's taking forever in the bathroom!"

"I just got in here!"

"Did not! You've been in there for thirty minutes!"

"Boys, there is plenty of room in the bathroom for both of you! How many times do I have to say that?!"

"Apparently, not enough…since someone can't keep it in their brain," Vergil grumbled. He glared at his little brother. Dante shoved Vergil out of the way to get into the bathroom.

The two glared sideways at each other while brushing their teeth. They then brushed their hair. Dante brushed his down and was done. Vergil took his time to slick his back with gel and mousse. Dante rolled his eyes and went to get dressed. Vergil was right behind him.

"What took you so long, anyways?" Dante asked.

"I was taking a shower. Did you even bathe?" Vergil answered simply.

"No, why would I take a shower when I'm just going to get dirty during the day. Taking one at night seems much better to me. Wait a minute…you take one morning and night! How can you stand that?!"

"Because I'm normal," Vergil sighed, brushing past his brother to go downstairs.

Dante rolled his eyes and followed his big brother. Eva was drinking coffee while reading the newspaper. It was cloudy outside, which bummed Dante. He liked to see the sun while he was outside.

***

Dante tried to get away from the demon. It was beastlike, but very intelligent. It knew his name and called it out to him as it tried to kill him. Dante was at the verge of tears. Mother wasn't around, and neither was Vergil. Dante was alone out here, and then this monster found him.

Dante was running, trying to escape the beast. He was caught before he could reach the limits of home. Dante struggled to get away, but the monster was too strong. Something in Dante was telling him to fight back, to survive, but he didn't have any weapons, let alone know how to use them. He was just a small boy.

The demon was threatening him. Dante saw his mother's amulet sparkle from under his shirt. He ripped it off from his neck and stabbed it into the demon's eye. The monster screamed, and dropped Dante.

Dante tried to get away, but he did little damage to the beast. It snatched him again, this time more forcefully. The monster slammed Dante into the ground and held him there.

"You little mutt-blood! I'll kill you like the runt you are!" the demon hissed.

Before the monster could finish Dante off, a rock hit it in the head. The demon looked up from his prey. Dante struggled to see too. It was Vergil!

"Brother! Run!" Dante yelled.

"What's this? Sparda had two whelps? Hah!"

"You better let my brother go if you know what's good for you," Vergil threatened. Dante had never seen his brother so cold and defiant before. He stared directly back at this monster, unafraid.

"Oh, really? I like your tone, runt! How about I kill you first?! Or would you prefer to watch me kill your sibling?"

The monster picked Dante up by the leg. Dante struggled to get free of the demon's grasps, but it was impossible. Vergil held up a vile filled with a clear liquid. His eyes never left the demon. Dante saw his brother dart forward with speed he thought impossible. In seconds, Vergil was at the demon's side. The monster grunted in shock and disbelief. It dropped Dante to whirl on Vergil. Dante watched his twin dodge the blow, and he open the vile. Vergil threw the liquid on the monster. The demon went up in white flames, screaming out in agony.

As the monster flared about, Vergil evaded it, and ran over to Dante's side. The brothers watched the demon burn. Just as it was dying, one long arm snaked out and snatched Dante. The demon was trying to pull him into the flames with it!

Dante struggled against the immense strength of this demon. Vergil grabbed him. His brother tried to pull him back. The twins worked together, but they were still being dragged for the flames and the screaming monster.

"Let me go! He's going to get you too!" Dante yelled.

"I won't…let go!" Vergil yelled as he put all of his strength to keep his brother from being thrown into the flames.

Dante realized he still had his mother's amulet in his hand. He slammed the point of it as hard as he could into the monster's hand. The demon screamed and let go. The boys fell backwards into the dirt. They watched the demon finish burning into nothing but ashes that got swept away in the wind.

The twins caught their breath. Finally, they were able to stand up. They were still hugging each other. When they were sure the danger was over, they let go of each other.

"What was that stuff?" Dante asked.

"Holy water…I found it in mom's room. It's fatal to most demons like that," Vergil sighed. "Dante, are you okay?"

"Yeah…thanks bro. You risked your life to save mine."

"That's what brothers are for. You would've done the same for me," Vergil answered simply.

Dante nodded at his brother. Of course he would of! They were brothers! They would watch each other's back to the very end!

"Dante…I think it's about time we both start training how to take care of ourselves. We aren't normal…like all the others. We're different, and for some reason those demons want us dead for that. We need to be able to protect mom, not just ourselves."

"Yeah…you're right. But how?"

"No one else will train us. Looks like you and I are just going to have to train each other. It might sound difficult, but I think we can do it."

Dante nodded. Vergil was right. They needed to be able to protect themselves. And not only themselves, but their mother as well. Still, Dante was unsure how they were going to do it.

Vergil patted his brother's back with a reassuring smile. It was one of the few times that Vergil ever smiled. Dante felt relieved to have his brother at his side.

"We can do this," Vergil stated.

"I know we can!" Dante exclaimed, and the brothers shook on it.

***

Dante groaned as his eyes fluttered open. More dreams about his past, no surprise. The dreams troubled him. He didn't want to think of his life back then…back when things were simple…when he had his mother…and he had his brother.

"Wow. I'm surprised to see you two like this. Did I come at a bad time?" Trish's voice said to him.

Dante blinked and looked up. He saw her come into focus. She was smiling wily down at him. He didn't even know what she was talking about. She must've noticed his confused gaze, because she pointed down at him. Dante looked down.

He was laying on the couch in the front office. He wasn't alone. Lady was snuggled up to him as close as she could get. She had her face buried in his chest. Dante quickly thought back to last night. He knew they didn't get drunk, so how the hell did they wind up like this?

All he remembered was laying Lady down on the couch here. They stayed up late cleaning and wrapping her wounds. By then, Lady was tired, and so was Dante. Dante sat down beside her to take his shoes off, and that was all he remembered. He must have fallen asleep on the couch as well, and Lady decided to make him her pillow.

"Don't tell me you two partied last night?" Trish sighed, running her fingers through her hair.

"Of course not! Do you think I could get so lucky?" Dante snorted.

Trish chuckled and moved away. Dante wanted to get away from Lady just in case she woke up to seeing him and blowing her top. He couldn't move though, not without waking her up. He decided to wait and let her wake up first.

After a few minutes of Trish and him talking, she started to stir. Dante looked down at her. He readied himself for a slap or a punch, or maybe even a kick to the groin. Lady opened her eyes. She looked up and saw Dante inches from her face.

"Morning, sleeping beauty!" he greeted with a cheesy smile.

Here eyes grew wide. Lady drew back, almost falling off of the couch. Dante leaped to his feet before she could slap him. He took shelter near Trish, who yawned in boredom. Lady tried to stand, but her bad leg collapsed under her weight. Dante moved to catch her, in which he was barely successful.

"Watch it, babe. That leg of yours is in bad shape," Dante stated.

"Yeah, I know! Let me go!" Lady spat, hitting him. "You pervert! I should've known better than to fall asleep near you!"

"Excuse me! You were the one who decided to use me as a pillow!"

"I did not! Why would I want to lay on you?!"

"I don't know, why did you?"

"Argh!"

"I don't mean to intrude on your little lover's quarrel, but it is almost sunset," Trish informed. They needed to meet Vergil at the Temen-ni-gru ruins.

Lady huffed and glared at her friend. Dante, on the other hand, paled and cursed under his breath. He gave Trish an almost wild look.

"Oh, no! Vergil! I gotta go!"

Trish grabbed Dante by his coat just as he tried to escape. "What do you mean "I"? All three of us are going to meet Vergil! We're in this together, isn't that right, Lady?"

"Yeah!"

"Lady, you definitely can't go because of your injuries," Dante said, calming down. Trish was able to let him go.

"I'll show you injured!"

Lady jumped Dante and they fell to the floor. Dante yelped. Trish rolled her eyes as the two started to wrestle and fight. Knocking came upon the front doors. Leaving the two to duke it out, Trish made her way to answer it. She figured it would have been Enzo at this time.

"Sorry, Enzo. Can you come back later? Dante and Lady are-" Trish cut herself off. Enzo was not in front of her. Vergil stared at her with a stoic face, eyes sharp. Trish recollected herself. "Well, what a surprise. Come on in. I should warn you, though, it's kinda messy."

She moved to let Vergil in. She shut the door and followed the older twin over to the wrestling Dante and Lady. Trish and Vergil watched in silence. Trish noticed Vergil cock his head a little in what looked like curiosity.

"Don't worry. This is an every day thing," sighed Trish.

When Trish had her chance, she kicked Dante. He stopped along with Lady, and looked up. Seeing Vergil, the two broke apart and immediately got to their feet. Lady didn't hesitate, even with her bad leg. She drew a gun on Vergil.

"Lady! Don't!" Dante hissed.

Lady glared at Vergil deeper, but then gave up. She lowered her gun. It was then, she decided to sit down on the couch. Dante watched her with worry, before turning to his older twin.

"What's going on? Why are you here? I was just getting ready to leave to meet you at the ruins," Dante said with a sigh.

Trish came around to Dante's other side to face Vergil. Lady was still alert and ready even though she sat on the couch. She never took her eyes off of Vergil. It was then the three of them noticed that Vergil was bleeding heavily. Dante grunted at the sight. Vergil seemed unfazed by the wound, but it couldn't have been feeling good at all.

"What happened to you?" Dante asked. He had tried to ask the question without sounding too worried. It came out sounding like he was concerned, and he kicked himself.

Vergil twitched a smirk. He barely chuckled at Dante. "Deterion did this to me. That is why I am here. They were near the Temen-ni-gru ruins. I didn't want them to find us there, so I thought meeting you here was more appropriate."

"Well, let's go get them!" Dante yelled.

"It's not going to be so simple," sighed Vergil.

"I agree. How about we talk all this over?" Trish inquired.

"Fine, fine. Bro, would you like a drink? I think all I have is beer…and water. Do you need something for your wound?"

"Nothing, I'm fine."

***

A few hours later, and it was night. The four discussed Deterion and Angulus. It was weird to have Vergil at his side again. They had been fighting for such a long time, could Dante really trust his twin?

Trish left to take a shower, and Lady went to the kitchen to get some food. Her leg was getting better now that she had rested. The twins were quiet in the front office. Vergil's wounds healed long ago, and now that the discussion was done, he got up to leave. Dante stood with him, mind racing to say something. The only thing he blurted out was the thing he didn't want to ask.

"Vergil, have you been having dreams of the past?"

Vergil paused, his back to Dante. Slowly, the older twin turned around to face his brother. Dante couldn't tell what Vergil was thinking, they just stared each other down, even as Lady slipped in unnoticed.

"…Yes…"

"Me too. I just…had to ask. I didn't know if I was going crazy or something," sighed Dante, lowering his gaze.

"Remember that time when mother left us alone, and you got in your head that crazy idea to eat all the cookies?"

Dante laughed, "Yeah! I dared myself! God, I was so sick! I haven't ate a cookie since!"

Vergil chuckled, "Me either. Just watching you made me sick."

Dante remembered that time long ago when they were kids. Eva left to go to Miriam's house for something; Dante couldn't remember. Vergil was left in charge, but that didn't usually mean anything with the twins.

"You…covered for me," Dante murmured, a smile still on his face as he remembered the incident. "When mom got home, you told her that I only ate a couple cookies, but got sick from them. You told her that you dumped the rest because they were bad."

"I don't think she believed me," Vergil stated, smiling.

"Yeah, but we didn't get in trouble."

Vergil slowly turned and started to walk for the front doors. Dante watched his brother go, so many things nagging at his heart. Lady came up to his side and rubbed his arm, trying to comfort him.

"Where are you going?" Dante asked.

"Don't know. Somewhere for the night," Vergil replied, stopping with his hand on the knob.

"Well, ain't that rude?" came Trish's voice as she entered the front office. She came up to Dante's other side. "There is plenty of room for you to stay here. We can't have you running around with Deterion and Angulus out there. Didn't we just get done discussing that? We all need to stick together."

"Trish," Dante hissed softly.

Vergil was glaring at Trish. Trish seemed unfazed. She stared right back with arms casually folded.

"I think Vergil can take care of himself. Let him do what he wants," Dante stated, staring at Trish.

"Are you kidding? The way he showed up here all wounded? I think not," Trish replied with a shake of her head.

Dante, Lady, and Trish were very aware of Vergil's glaring. Trish was being too open on her thoughts. Vergil did not like anyone who openly stated such things about him.

Trish sighed, "Look, he can stay in the guest bedroom, and I will go out for the night, you know, look for clues or information on how we can kill these bastards. They don't know who I am, and won't be looking for me. Lady can stay in your room."

"What?! I think not!" Lady spat.

"Then you can sleep with Vergil, which ever you prefer," Trish snickered as she slipped past the older twin for the door.

Lady's face grew hot from either anger or embarrassment, most likely both. The Sparda twins just glared at the sniggering Trish. As Trish was almost to the door, Vergil drew the Yamato with blinding speed, whipping the blade to where it was inches from Trish's neck.

"Are you saying that I can't defend myself?" Vergil growled.

"No, I'm saying that it would be best for the sons of Sparda to stay close to one another when Deterion and Angulus are about to destroy them. Believe it or not, but you two stand a much better chance together than alone. That is why you are here, right Vergil? You are here to work with Dante to destroy this threat to both of you? That's what brothers do…they help each other."

Vergil hesitated, and then a small smirk curled on his lips. He slowly sheathed the Yamato, but not without giving a snort.

"Does Dante ever tell you that you sound just like our mother?"

Trish gave him a look. "Yeah, I get that a lot. I'm heading out now. I will be back in the morning."

She left without another word. Vergil heaved a sigh, and turned to walk over to his brother. Dante was busy trying to go through in his head what had just happened. Did Trish just con his brother into staying with him? Well, he had weirder things happen to him before.

"I'll show you to the room," Dante stated.

* * *

**Uh-oh...Vergil is spending the night? This ought to be very interesting...poor Lady!! I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I know I did! I am still stuffed, lol! Don't worry, the bad guys are gonna show themselves, lol. It seems like I keep milking it, hahahaha! I just hope that Dante and Lady don't kill each other before then. Yeah, for some reason I am more worried about those two killing each other over Dante and Vergil killing each other. Is that weird? *shrugs* Oh, yes, and Enzo and Lucia will eventually come in to do more parts. As for Nero and Kyrie...only if I get an okay from you guys, otherwise, they won't exist! Hahaha! That is cruel of me, yes? Anyways, thank you for reading and reviewing! XD**


	7. Chapter 7: Heading Out

**Chapter 7: Heading Out**

"Do you think he'll be alright?" Dante asked.

Lady gave him a look. "I think Vergil can handle being in a room by himself."

"Yeah, I know, but do you think he'll sneak off? I told him it would be useless. I know every creak in this building, so I will know if he tries to escape."

"Right, good luck with that."

"What's your problem?"

Lady gave him a harder look. "What do you think? I'm stuck in _your _room with _you_. After what you pulled yesterday, argh!"

Dante grinned. "Well, my brother's next door. You can go sleep with him."

Lady rolled her eyes. "At least I know Vergil wouldn't pull anything. He'd probably let me have the bed to myself too!"

"What?!" Dante spat, glaring. "You prefer him?!"

"I didn't say that," Lady sighed, checking her injured leg while sitting on the edge of Dante's bed. When she looked up at him, she was startled, then quickly got amused. "Oh my God, you are jealous!"

"What? Am not!"

"You so are!" Lady laughed.

Dante grumbled lowly. He was fed up with this whole situation. He let Lady have his bed, and he made himself comfortable on the hard floor. He felt odd, knowing that Vergil was just a room down from him. It pained him remembering his past. He wondered if it pained Vergil.

_Stop it, those days are over. We're not kids anymore_, Dante thought. As he drifted to sleep, he didn't realize that he was gripping his mother's amulet so strongly, letting his fingers feel the etched words of _Vergil and Dante_.

***

"Hey, Vergil! I bet you can't fake being me all day!" Dante laughed as the boys got up from bed.

Vergil snorted, "Are you kidding, bro? All I have to do to be you is to be messy and annoying!"

"Hah! I bet you can't fool mom!"

"I would have a much easier time being you than you being me!" Vergil countered.

"Oh yeah? All I need is a shower and some hair gel, and I'm you!"

"You want to take this on to the next level?" Vergil challenged.

"You're on, brother! All day as you, piece of cake!"

"We will have to be able to fool not only mom, but everyone else."

"What's the prize?" Dante asked, a wide grin on his cute face.

Vergil pondered, tapping his chin. "Hmm, the first one discovered has to do the other's chores for a week. If no one finds us out, then we both win!"

"What do we get if we both win?"

"I don't know," Vergil shrugged. "Let's figure that out if it happens. I doubt it will though, 'because you are so going to get caught!"

"You're on!" Dante laughed.

The twins shook on it, and then crossed to the other's side of the room to put on their clothes. When they were dressed, they went to the bathroom and did their morning grooming. As Dante was fixing his hair up like Vergil, his big brother would snicker and shake his head. Dante glared at Vergil.

"That's not how I have my hair!"

"Is too! You always have it in your face!" Vergil retorted. "Look who's talking! My hair doesn't slick back like a man with a comb-over!"

"Boys, breakfast is ready! What's taking so long? Are you two fighting?" Eva yelled from downstairs.

"No, mama!" the boys replied.

They finished getting ready. Dante was dressed up to look like Vergil, and Vergil wore Dante's clothes to look like him, hair down just like his younger brother. Vergil smelled the sleeve of his shirt.

"Oh, yeah! I'm already ahead! Dirty shirt!" Vergil cackled.

"What's that stuff you put on again that's strong?" Dante asked, rummaging through his brother's things.

"Deodorant? It's not that strong, Dante."

"Is this perfume?" Dante laughed, holding up a small bottle.

Vergil sighed, "No, it's cologne. It covers up stench from little brothers."

"I'm not that much younger than you!"

"Forty-three minutes!"

"Are not!"

"Are too!"

"Are not!"

"BOYS! Breakfast is ready! Don't make me come up there!"

Dante was afraid to spray the cologne on him at first. After they were done dressing themselves up as the other, they looked each other over. Vergil shook his head.

"That just won't do. I think my image is too complicated for you."

"Are you kidding? Hah! Well, I'll tell you right now, that image is too cool for you! You look horrible in my clothes!"

"Ditto," Vergil chuckled. "Alright, let's do this thing!"

The boys hurried downstairs to eat breakfast. As Eva hummed her favorite song, the boys wolfed down their food. Vergil took big bites like Dante would always do. Dante, posing as Vergil, hardly swallowed his food.

"Goodness, Vergil. You are hungry this morning! I've never seen you eat like that before!" Eva giggled, coming over with her own plate.

Dante gulped down his food to get air. He looked across to himself. Vergil was smiling wickedly at him while he posed as Dante. Dante snorted, and smiled up at his mother.

"Sorry, mother, I don't know what came over me! Excuse my manners! Dante's…ah, gluttony must be contagious!"

Vergil glared at Dante from across the table. Eva shook her head. She slightly whapped Dante down on the head.

"Vergil, be nice to your brother, and finish your breakfast."

"Yes, mother."

"Dante, you sure are quiet this morning. Are you alright?" Eva asked, looking with concern over at her youngest that was actually the oldest in disguise.

"Huh? Oh, yeah! Just eating my food! Can I have some more?!" Vergil barked, finishing his plate.

Eva smiled sweetly, "You are always so hungry, Dante. I guess I can get you another plate." She took the plate from Vergil and turned away. Vergil made a face to Dante showing that he was too full to really eat anymore. Dante only snickered at him.

"Wow, Vergil. You ate a lot this morning. You usually eat like a bird. Would you like another plate, honey?"

Dante looked thrilled about another helping, but then caught himself. Vergil hardly ate as it was. He slowly shook his head just as his brother would, and his mother took the plate away. Dante watched on as Vergil pretended to be enjoying his second plate. Dante was drooling from watching the food. He was still hungry! It only made it worse that he was watching Vergil force it down his already full stomach.

The rest of the day went on just like that. Vergil and Dante struggled to act like the other in the presence of others. When Dante was off doing Vergil-like things, Vergil took it upon himself to go over to see Miriam, Gerin, and Rosie with Eva.

While his mother spoke with Rosie's parents, the little blonde girl shrieked happily upon seeing "Dante". Vergil tried to get away from her, and she chased him all around the house. It was then that an evil, little plan popped up in Vergil's mind. While Eva, Miriam, and Gerin were laughing about something, Vergil turned to the little girl that was hugging him tight.

"Dante, you are so cute!" she squealed.

Vergil tried to not let his smirk show, but he definitely chuckled evilly in his head. He kissed Rosie on the cheek. Rosie gasped, and Vergil saw her eyes light up like fireworks. She squealed so hard, one of Vergil's eardrums blew. She crushed Vergil in hugs, and started kissing him. Vergil fought her after that, trying to call mom for help.

Once he was himself and not Dante, Rosie would leave him alone forever. Rosie would never forget that Dante kissed her. Vergil barely got out of there alive. They found "Vergil" heading their way.

"Oh, Vergil, there you are. Where were you?" Eva asked.

"I was showing my coolness off to other kids!" Dante replied, mocking Vergil's tone. He glared at his brother, who only rolled his eyes.

Eva giggled. "I bet you were. C'mon, you two. Let's get home."

The boys went into the living room to mess around while Eva went to the kitchen. She hummed while she got some snacks and drinks. When she went into the living room, she found the boys laughing while watching cartoons. She gave the twins their food and sat down in the chair behind them.

"Vergil, come here for a moment," Eva said softly.

Dante got up and walked over to his mother. Eva caressed his cheek with her delicate fingers, her eyes shining with love and what looked like amusement. She laughed softly, getting the real Vergil's attention even.

"Dante, your hair looks cute when it's actually combed."

"What? Mom, I'm Vergil!" Dante barked.

"Oh, come now. How long are you two going to keep up this charade?" Eva chuckled with a bright smile.

Vergil got up and joined his brother's side. The twins exchanged looks between them, and then they looked back to their mother.

"Vergil, your hair looks good down like that."

"How'd you know?" Vergil asked.

"A mother knows everything," Eva answered, and she playfully grabbed their noses and got up to go to the bathroom.

"Does that mean we lose? Who lost?" Dante grumbled.

"You, she called you first. You're doing my chores for a week," Vergil answered.

"No way! She said she knew the whole time! We both lost at the same time!"

"Well, then, I guess we have to do each other's chores for a week," sighed Vergil.

"I would have rather won!" Dante retorted.

The next day, the boys switched chores. Eva watched them in amusement. She couldn't believe how clever they were in disguising themselves as the other. They fooled everyone, expect her. Eva's smile slowly faded. It was easy telling the difference between them. It was their eyes. Dante had such bright, expressive eyes that told his every emotion. They told on him. Vergil's eyes were much different. His were elusive and soft. Eva could never read his eyes. They were secretive and reserved even with his strongest emotions.

She was distracted by the door. She answered it, and Miriam, Gerin, and Rosie came in. While Eva went to get them drinks, she shook her thoughts of the twins' differences out of her head. The boys were almost done with their chores, and would be joining them shortly.

Not even a second into the living room, and poor little Dante got tackled to the floor by Rosie. She was giggling and squealing. She kissed Dante while crush-hugging him, and she would not let go. Dante was frantically trying to get away. Vergil was snickering not too far away from his little brother.

"Kiss me again, Dante! Please! I love you so much! You're so cute!"

Dante glared evilly at his big brother. Vergil stifled his grin the best he could, but he was still snickering like a coyote. Dante's look told Vergil that his little brother was already planning payback.

***

Dante's eyes fluttered open. The instant he moved, he fell onto the floor. The thud was loud enough, but his yelp was louder. He sat up and looked up onto his bed. He glared at Lady. She was hogging the whole bed! No wonder he fell off!

He grumbled something, and got to his feet. He stretched and yawned, then decided to take the risk and wake her up. He slightly shook her, and she only mumbled and moved. He blew in her face, and she swatted at him. He pinched her nose, and she hit his hand away. Dante went in and kissed her on the lips. Her eyes popped open and she screamed.

The next thing Dante knew, he was on the floor groaning. Lady was up and out of his room steaming. He slowly got up, and went to take a shower.

Lady stormed into the kitchen, and realized Trish wasn't here. There was no breakfast ready. She was huffing, she was so angry. She debated on whether not she should stab him to death with a dull butter knife…or castrate him. That sounded much better.

She whirled around to go back to Dante's room, and almost ran into Vergil. She yelped in surprise and grabbed the nearest butter knife. Vergil didn't even so much as flinch. Slightly embarrassed, Lady tossed the dull knife into the sink.

"S-sorry, you surprised me," she said gingerly.

Vergil dipped his head politely at her. "I apologize for that. I did not mean to."

Lady was surprised. Though cautious, Vergil was being much friendlier than the other times Lady had met him.

"It's fine. Can I get you something?" Lady replied with a small smile.

Before Vergil could answer, Dante came running in wet from the shower. He was holding up his pants, and that was the only clothing he had on.

"What is it?! Lady, are you okay?!"

Silence followed, and Lady stared at Dante in shock. Vergil twitched a smile at the sight, and for some reason, that made Lady even more embarrassed. Dante calmed down once he realized everything was fine.

"Oh, sorry," he mumbled.

"I'm fine," Lady sighed, shaking her head. "Why don't you go finish your shower?"

Dante looked between his brother and Lady, as if suspicious or unsure, then slowly turned around and left the kitchen. They heard the bathroom door shut and the shower resume.

"Wow, that was strange," Lady heaved.

"That is my brother for you," Vergil stated, slightly chuckling. He turned and left the kitchen.

Lady watched him go, confused about Vergil's behavior. She then went back to her own business, and started to scrounge for breakfast. She settled with grabbing a banana, and followed Vergil into the front room of Devil May Cry. Vergil was walking around the office, taking things in. Lady watched as he walked the length of Dante's desk, letting his fingers slide and feel along its surface. He came to a halt when he saw the picture of Eva on the corner.

Lady barely caught the flash in Vergil's eyes. It was some kind of emotion, but it was quickly gone. Dante's twin looked up at her directly, as if he knew she had been there the entire time. Lady was sure he did.

"He is protective of you."

"Huh?" Lady grunted, surprised by his words.

"Dante. He has been protective of you since the Temen-ni-gru incident."

Lady flicked her eyes away for just a moment. That's all it took for Vergil to shorten the distance between them to almost nothing. Lady glared up at him, stepping back a few steps to give them more space.

"Yeah, well, I don't know why."

"You do know why. It is not that hard to figure out."

"He doesn't need to be, no matter what it is. I can take care of myself."

Vergil twitched this smile, and she could tell it was strange on his lips. She was used to his reserved frown. "You only think you can take care of yourself. You stand no chance against any demons, so why fight? Why put your life in danger? Why put Dante's life in danger since he is so bent on protecting you?"

Vergil was trying to play mind games with her. Lady glared at him, not wanting to put up with any of his bull crap. She stood her ground against Dante's twin, knowing that her back was close to the wall and the door that led to the back of Devil May Cry.

"I do what I have to do. I don't worry about your brother because he is like a little cockroach that won't die anyway."

"You don't mean that. I can see it in your eyes. You do worry for him."

"What is your little point?" Lady growled.

Before Vergil could speak more, the door to the back opened, and Dante came out rubbing his wet hair. He had on only his pants and shoes now. When he noticed how close Vergil was to Lady, and how she was almost cornered, his eyes flashed. He could feel the tension was thick in the room. Growling, Dante shoved in-between Vergil and Lady, getting in front of her and staring his brother down.

"Whatever you are trying to pull, you better not start it with her," Dante growled.

"We were merely talking. Were we not, Lady?" Vergil asked.

Lady didn't say anything, her sharp eyes still locked on Dante's older brother. Dante glanced back at her, and then his eyes returned to Vergil. He pointed sharply at his twin, jaw clenched.

"We agreed to work together to stop those two demons. That means leaving her the hell alone, and I mean it."

"Of course," Vergil replied gently, dipping his head.

"Hey, good morning! I brought donuts!" came Trish's voice after the front doors opened. She came to a halt upon seeing the situation. She slowly walked over with the box of fresh donuts, coming up to Dante's side. "O…kay. Did I miss something? Don't make me have to act like Eva now."

Their mother's name caught the twins' attention. They glared over at her. Trish smiled and held up the box of donuts between the two brothers. "Donut?"

Dante glared at Vergil one last time before snatching the box of donuts and walking over to his desk. Trish looked over at Lady, saw that the young woman was in deep thought. She shook out of it, and went over to Dante, who offered her a donut.

Vergil turned away from them and the delicious donuts. Trish was already fighting over one particular donut with Dante. Vergil watched the three for a moment, then made his way to the front doors.

"When all of you are ready, let's meet at the old church. There is much activity there, and there is a good chance it is Deterion and Angulus," Vergil informed, and left the shop.

"Whatever," growled Dante. He then turned to Trish. "Did you find out anything last night?"

"Yeah. Did you know that Enzo is seeing that Lisa chick from the Corner Diner?" Trish asked, eating her last donut.

"That's nothing impor-wait…really?" Dante grunted.

Lady rolled her eyes. "Did you find out anything _important _last night?"

"Oh, right…yeah. There is definitely something going on down at the Temen-ni-gru ruins now."

"We will have to check it out then after the church. Sound good?" Dante asked. The two women nodded in approval. Soon, Trish left to go to the bathroom and wash her hands. This left Dante alone with Lady. He watched her for a long moment. She was very aware of his stare.

"What?" she grumbled.

"Nothing…I just…are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Look, I just want to look out for you, okay? If Vergil gives you any trouble please let me know."

"I can take care of myself, Dante."

Dante sighed, shaking his head at the stubborn woman. "I know! How long have we known each other?"

"Long enough. I saved your ass when we first met in Temen-ni-gru!" Lady laughed.

"No, you did not! I saved your ass from falling hundreds of stories! And you shot me in the freaking face!"

"Oh, yeah."

"Oh, yeah? That's all I get? Am I ever going to get an apology for that headshot?" Dante grumbled.

"Let me think…no."

"If you two are having a lover's quarrel, I can go and meet up with Vergil and leave you two to sort it out," Trish pointed out.

"I wish," Dante growled, but shut his mouth when he saw Lady glare at him. He then smiled at his girls, clapping his hands together. "Alright! Who's ready to kill some demons?"

* * *

**Sorry this chapter took so long! It has been a very busy life for me for awhile, lol! So things are finally getting going! Dante and Vergil aren't liking the idea of working together, but they will just have to get over that! XD What will they find at the church? And what will they find at the Temen-ni-gru ruins? Will Lady ever settle down? Or will see shoot Dante in the head again? So many questions, all unanswered until I get my ass into working on the next chapter, hahahaha!! Thanks for reading and reviewing!!!**


	8. Chapter 8: The Brothers of Darkness

**Chapter 8: The Brothers of Darkness**

Dante and Trish beat Lady to the church using their inhuman speed. Lady killed the motorcycle and got off. The three of them headed for the back courtyard of the run-down church. Though the morning daylight seemed to lift the darkness of the church, they could still feel the evil and negativity from the building as they walked the property.

"I bet you a hundred bucks that we are going to get ambushed," Trish sighed, flipping her long blonde hair.

Dante glanced over at her. "A hundred bucks? Hell yeah! I will take that bet!"

"You don't have a hundred bucks to even bet," Lady snorted.

"Well, that's okay! I know your checking account," Dante chuckled.

Lady glared at him. Dante stuck his tongue out at her, and then barely had time to dodge before she tried to punch him. Trish got out of the way, but then she glared at them.

"Okay, you two! Settle down! Geez, it's like you guys are children!"

"I'm not the child. He his."

"Hey, I'm older than you, so who's the baby?" Dante chuckled.

"Age doesn't matter; it is the maturity that is supposed to come with it…which you don't have."

Trish slapped her forehead as the two started to argue. She heard Dante say something about Lady being childlike herself with her temper tantrums, and then Lady boasted that Dante whined like a little boy. Trish found Vergil coming out of the courtyard. She smiled at him as he walked up, his eyes set curiously on the arguing partners.

"You don't want to know. Again, this is normal, so don't mind it. Did you find anything?" Trish grumbled, folding her arms.

Vergil nodded his head. "A scent. Deterion and Angulus were definitely here. However, they must have the ability to teleport because the scent led nowhere."

"Great…I hate teleporting demons," Trish sighed. She turned around to glare at Dante and Lady, who were still arguing of course. "Hey!" They didn't stop in their argument. Trish put her fingers in her mouth and whistled sharply. They stopped in the middle of their quarrel to peer over at Trish.

"Thank you!" she sighed. "Vergil says he found a scent but it just vanishes. They must have teleported."

"That's just great," Lady growled.

"What? It just makes things more interesting," Dante snorted. He received glares from the others. "Okay, fine."

Vergil stepped forward a few, his left hand holding onto Yamato tightly. "I think our best tactic for now is-"

Vergil trailed off, his eyes lifting up to the church tower. Trish, Dante, and Lady followed his eyes. There was nothing. Just silence that seemed to haunt the church and it's surrounding woods. It was then that instinct kicked into Dante's mind. He grabbed Lady and leaped, Trish and Vergil closely behind. Below them, the ground broke and crumbled away, releasing a giant as it climbed out of the earth.

They landed several feet away. Dante put Lady down. For once she didn't complain as they watched on in horror as a giant demon rose from the beneath the ground. Dirt and rocks rained off of it as it raised its full height, almost a full story above the church. The demon roared out, blaring their ears with a hot blast. The demon was some kind of worm looking creature, and they realized that part of its body was still down underground. There was no telling how long the creature was, but its massive jaws opened to reveal jagged teeth and sickening, dripping saliva.

"Well, Trish. I guess you win the bet. We did get ambushed," Lady sighed, getting her weapons ready.

"Actually, I meant by a whole bunch of demons," Trish confessed.

"Yes! I win!" Dante chuckled.

All around them orbs of light started to spark, and then demons of all kinds were popping up all over. Dante and the others glared at them all, most were types of the seven sins.

Lady laughed. "You just jinxed yourself."

"Dammit!" barked Dante.

"If all of you are done playing around, it might be a good idea to start killing," Vergil growled.

Dante's twin brother rushed forward with blinding speed, ripping through the crowd of demons to get to the giant one. Lady opened fire with her Uzis. The small machine guns blew away the small fry in seconds. Trish powered up her electricity as Dante twirled the Force Edge around in his hand. He ran forward as well, slicing through demons who tried to attack. Dante was quick to switch to Ebony and Ivory to cover Trish and Lady, and then go back to his sword.

The giant worm demon was not happy as it roared out. It lowered its massive body down, swinging it horizontally across the ground like a swinging axe. Dante ducked just in time for it to slice right over his head, killing multiple other demons. He stood up afterwards. He drew Ebony and Ivory and started firing multiple shots into the worm. The monster screeched out again, and swung its body along the ground once more. This time, Dante leaped right over its body like a jump rope.

Dante laughed. "Missed again!"

Vergil wasn't too far off, killing smaller demons by the dozen. He glared over his shoulder at his younger twin. "Stop fooling around!"

"Who said you were in charge?" Dante scoffed, folding his arms casually even though demons were hounding in. As they neared him, Dante kicked out, slashing Force Edge along to kill them all.

He heard Vergil grumble, Yamato a blinding ray of light. "Don't make me have to use the age thing again."

"Oh, not this again! Being a minute older does not count!"

"I'm 43 minutes older, Dante!"

"Are they arguing over their age?" Lady asked as she reloaded next to Trish.

Trish sent an electric wave rippling into a crowd of scythe wielding demons. They all were knocked away like bowling pins. She half-shrugged, smiling at her friend. "I guess they are. I think it's kinda cute, really."

Lady rolled her eyes. She watched as Dante and Vergil worked together to take down the giant worm demon. She couldn't believe how natural they worked with each other. The roaring demon was brought down in no time. The creature thrashed its coiling body around, smashing into the side of the church and making it crumble. The worm fell dead to the ground, becoming silent. Any other survivors teleported back to the other realm. The difference between their teleportation and Deterion and Angulus's teleportation was that the lesser demons could only go back to the dark realm. Deterion and Angulus could teleport anywhere they wanted, and that made them a much bigger threat in that fact alone.

Dante stared at the dead body of the worm demon as it disintegrated into ash and fell away. He slipped Force Edge back into its baldric sheath. It was so strange fighting alongside his brother again. It actually felt almost right. He shook the thoughts away, scowling, and glanced up at his twin brother. Vergil's eyes were set towards the city. Dante didn't like the look in his eyes. Soon Dante felt it in his gut as well. That horrible, instinctual feeling that something bad was about to happen.

"Guys, I have a bad feeling about this," Trish said, walking over with Lady.

The sky was getting dark with thunder clouds more quickly than they could notice. The sun became engulfed, and the air became cool and windy. Thunder boomed up above, and there were flashes of lightning. In the distance, they could hear the city's sirens going off. Before they had a chance to do anything, the ground began to shake under them. The ground crumbled beneath them. The church broke apart, walls falling right on top of Lady's bike.

"Son of a bitch! I just got that thing paid off!" Lady barked.

"I think we have much more serious matters to worry about," Vergil stated evenly, his eyes still locked toward the city.

They started to move. The tremors were increasing. The church was falling into a giant crevice. Out of the crevice, giant black blades of obsidian were sprouting up. They started to come out of the earth, taking out trees, buildings, cars, anything in their path and raising a story or more into the sky.

"What the hell?" Dante grunted.

"Temen-ni-gru is rising, look!" Trish hissed.

Miles and miles away, in the heart of the city, they watched as the giant tower rose out of the ground, rising far above the tallest skyscrapers, reaching for the heavens. They craned their necks, even at this distance as it rose to meet the source of the thunderstorm.

"Deterion!" Vergil yelled, bolting forward into a run. His inhuman speed made him a blur as he took off back towards the city.

"We have to follow him! Come on!" Trish called, taking off as well.

"My bike!" Lady complained, standing over the rubble.

Dante grabbed her wrist pulling her into him. "Forget the bike! Let's go!"

"You are not carrying me!"

"Look! Either I'm carrying you like baggage or I'm carrying you like a person. Decide!"

Grumbling, Lady glared up at him. "Fine! But no bridal style crap! Give me a damn piggyback ride! Don't give me that face either!"

Dante couldn't help but to snicker despite the circumstances. Lady easily climbed onto his back, holding onto him as he took off at blinding speed. Dante leaped at points to get across certain obstacles more quickly, easily jumping over a building to make it.

"Don't drop me or I'm gonna kick your ass!"

"That sounds tempting!"

"Watch out!"

Dante looked in front of him, where his eyes were supposed to be. A large demon was just climbing out of a collapsed building. Dante barely had time to evade the thing's swiping claws by leaping right over the thing.

"Keep your eyes ahead! Are you trying to kill us?!"

"You're distracting, I'm sorry! And stop being such a backseat driver!" Dante barked.

They reached the city in no time. Dante quickly ran the town, taking the quickest route to the Temen-ni-gru sight. He leaped from building to building to close the time by half, landing right next to Trish and Vergil, who were craning their necks up towards the top of the tower.

"It's about time, you two! Did ya guys make a pit stop or something?" Trish sighed.

"She was complaining in my ear the entire time, what do you think?" Dante grumbled.

Dante sat her down gently even as he complained about her. Lady shoved him aside, walking up to get a closer look for herself. It felt surreal standing here before Temen-ni-gru once again. This was where she risked her life to kill her wretched excuse for a father. This was where she almost died, where she survived, where she met Vergil, and where she met Dante. She turned back to Dante, staring up into his eyes. It was true to say that this was where their friendship and trust was born. Dante saved her life, and she may have saved his. It was here after it was all over that she saw Dante cry, cry for the brother he had lost. It was the only time she had ever seen him show that side of himself, even though she knew it to be there buried deep. The look in Dante's eyes told her he was thinking the same exact thing she was. This was where their fates came together.

Several feet down from them at the base of the Temen-ni-gru tower entrance, a black mist clouded up like rising fog, quickly dispersing to show a demon in black robes and a bloody, eighteen point deer skull for the head. The empty eye sockets slightly glowed red. The demon walked slowly for them, extending its arms, which looked almost human. The robes were so long, that the legs could not be shown. It looked as if the demon just glided to them.

They lined up next to each other, drawing their weapons as they glared at the demon. Dante recognized the demon instantly. This was Angulus. The one who came from the portal at the church. Vergil knocked Dante out just as he came to face this demon, and Dante couldn't understand why. Angulus looked like so many of the weaker demons he killed all the time.

"Angulus? Where's Deterion?" Vergil asked, his thumb ready to extend Yamato from its sheath.

"My brother has matters to attend to. So, at last we meet, sons of Sparda. I will get straight to the point. We are here to kill both of you, for revenge on our beloved General Mundus. Deterion, my lovely older brother, has another plan for this wretched realm, but I'm afraid that will have to remain a secret."

"Your threats don't work on me, bud," Dante growled.

"Dante, is it? You are the rasher brother, correct? Well, if you want to try me, go ahead. I'm always willing to put pups in their place…especially mongrel half-breeds like yourself."

Lady latched onto Dante, knowing that Angulus's sharp words on Dante's pedigree would make him snap. Dante growled lowly, but he reluctantly stayed in his position next to her. Trish was relieved that Lady was able to calm him. Vergil snorted in contempt on the other side of her.

"Don't listen to him, Dante. He is only trying to make you reckless."

"Is that so?" Angulus laughed, the deer skull turning to look at the older twin. "Vergil, right? You are the calmer…maybe even smarter brother. Hmm, but you don't seem to have the guts that your brother here has…or maybe that is because he is dumb and reckless. You tend to calculate, which is good for you. However, no matter how sophisticated as you think you are, you are still a cur. How many times have you tried to gain the ultimate dark power, and you have failed miserably? Well, I can only expect that from Sparda's seed, especially since the mother is a weak human. Oh, excuse me…_was _a weak human."

"You talk a lot of crap for someone who looks like a pound of carrion," Dante growled.

"That is because you do not understand that some things are more than they appear to be," Angulus replied coolly. "But that is okay. I understand that you cannot comprehend such matters."

"You better watch it," Trish hissed.

"Oh, please what are you going to do about it? Mundus created you as a puppet. Full-blooded demon or not, you are still a puppet. And what of you, Miss Mary? Are you going to make a retort as well?"

Lady's eyes flashed. "How do you know my name?"

"Well, it is quite obvious. You are the last descent of the Priestess. You may be of a pure lineage, but you are still a weak, little human. Just think though, your life will be spared. Deterion wants you…for whatever reason. And that, Priestess, is a very good thing."

"I'd rather die," Lady spat.

The deer skulled demon shrugged. "You really don't have a choice, Milady."

"You touch her, you die," Dante sneered, pointing Force Edge directly at Angulus.

"Oh, how sweet."

Behind Angulus, another black fog was rising. It dispersed to reveal a second demon. Dante glared at the demon as he stepped forward to stand next to Angulus. This demon had the skull of a mountain ram. The horns were twisted and curled elegantly upon the head. The empty eye sockets of the skull slightly glowed reddish orange. This demon wore blood red robes that flowed and trailed just like Angulus's. The arms that came out from the sleeves also looked human. This had to be Deterion.

Dante didn't like their physical appearance. Something didn't seem right about the animal skulls and robes. Were they just a disguise? Dante could never know, but it wasn't like he really cared.

"Is there a problem, brother?"

"None at all, Deterion. I was just talking to our little guests here."

"Ah, yes, the sons of Sparda. How interesting," Deterion chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Dante growled.

"The four of you," Deterion answered. "Two half-breeds, a human, and a demon puppet. What an army you four make."

"I'm sure you will see plenty more when we decide to kill each other," Vergil stated icily, his eyes cold as he glared at the ram skulled demon.

"Hmm, touché. However, I think your threats are meaningless, Vergil. Here, I will be a gentleman, and put it all out on the table for you four. Vergil, you, Dante, and Trish all get to die. The end. Oh, well, Milady Mary gets to come with me. I have so many uses for her…some for my pleasure, some for my plan."

"Fuck you," Lady hissed.

"You have quite a temper," Deterion chuckled. "But that is alright. I can train you."

"What are you planning to do with the human realm?" Vergil growled.

"Hmm, should I tell you? I guess I could. It isn't like you aren't going to live much longer anyways. Besides, there is so much I need to do before this plan can be completed, that you wouldn't know how to handle it anyways."

"Go on, I'm listening," Vergil muttered.

"I'm going to make this realm deteriorate into nothing but a dark, dead wasteland. All the weak humans will quiver and die, leading way to another realm for demons. Of course, there are many things I must do in order to get this to work. I also need my Priestess…isn't that right, Milady Mary? Angulus, go ahead and take her."

"Of course," Angulus stated, dipping his head.

The deer skulled demon came forward. Trish jerked forward, but Vergil snatched her arm. It was too dangerous for them to strike at the moment. Lady was prepared to put up a fight, getting her gun out and ready. However, she didn't have time to use it on Angulus before Dante suddenly stepped in front of her and thrust the Force Edge straight through the robes. Blood sprayed out. Angulus didn't make any cry of agony, but he did stop in his walk.

"Over my dead and bloody body are you taking her," Dante growled.

"That can be arranged," Deterion sighed on the other side of Angulus.

"Dante!" Vergil spat.

Angulus's human arm transformed into a large blade. The demon lunged it forward, striking it through Dante's chest. The blade came out the other side, barely missing Lady. Vergil shot forward, aiming for Angulus, but Deterion came in between them. Vergil attacked Deterion. Trish came forward, kicking Angulus off of Dante and summoning up her electrical powers.

Dante felt agony spread throughout his body and realized that Angulus's blade hand must have had poison on it. He cursed within himself, trying to fight it. He heard Lady screaming his name. He heard her firing her weapon, even as his senses began to dim and blur. All he could think about as he collapsed was Lady.

***

"Momma, why did Daddy leave us?" Dante asked as he and Eva sat under a large shade tree to take a break in the small park.

Eva perked up from looking into the pond, watching as the tame koi swan around in schools. She smiled softly at her youngest. Vergil had left to get them some water. This was when Dante decided to ask this question.

"Because he loved us. He sacrificed himself to save us. You two were in my belly, and he destroyed a great evil. I told you this story already, Dante," Eva said gently, smiling down at him.

"I know…it's just…"

"It's hard, Dante. I know, and I understand."

"What is love?" the young boy asked.

"Well, there are all kinds of love, honey. The feelings I have for you and Vergil is love, and same with the feelings you have for me. Then there is the love like the one your father and I shared. Kinda like that couple over there kissing on that bench."

Dante looked, saw the young human couple kissing and smiling. He immediately felt bile rise in his throats, and he almost gagged. "Ew! Gross!"

Eva laughed softly, beaming down at him. "You will understand when you are older."

"I guess," sighed Dante, looking up and seeing Vergil heading for them with a canteen of water.

Eva watched him closely. "You will find someone who you will love so much, that you would sacrifice yourself for them…that's what your father did for us."

* * *

**A/N: Geez, the site was down yesterday and I couldn't post this! Well, at least it is fixed now! Uh-oh, did I just leave this off on a cliffhanger? Please don't hurt me! So finally Deterion and Angulus show themselves. Now, what will happen to Dante? And why do they want Lady so much? I am not going to answer theses questions just yet, hehehehe. Hopefully the next chapter will explain some more...maybe not! Hope all you you enjoyed this chapter! I had fun writing it! Thanks for reading and reviewing! XD**


	9. Chapter 9: Invincible

**Chapter 9: Invincible**

Dante groaned, feeling this unspeakable pain sear through his head. Bright lights hit his pupils as he opened his eyes. At first his vision was blurry, but soon it cleared away so he could see. He soon realized he was in his bed at the Devil May Cry. Slowly, he lifted his body up into a sitting position, feeling more pain shock its way through his torso.

At first, he couldn't recall what happened, and then he remembered it all. Deterion and Angulus attacked them at the Temen-ni-gru tower. Angulus had stabbed Dante through with a large claw that was poisoned. He was protecting Lady. The brothers of darkness wanted her for their own purposes.

He was filled with dread. What if everyone was dead? What if Lady was gone? He started to move, not understanding how he could end up home if that happened. He wasn't going to wait though. He needed to find Lady.

"Finally up, are you?"

"Trish?" Dante grunted, hissing in pain. "Where's Lady?"

Trish stood in the doorway of his bedroom, arms folded and her body leaning on the door frame. "Relax, she's fine. She hasn't left your side since we brought you back here. I finally made her leave to go get some rest…now that it is almost two days later."

"Two days?!"

Trish thinned her lips. "Yeah, you can thank Matier for curing you."

"Matier?" Dante grunted. "How did she get here?"

"She came with Lucia. They are out now…checking for signs of Deterion and Angulus. They should be back soon."

"And Vergil?"

"He's around. He wanted to stick close to here just in case the brothers came back for you or Lady, but I think he wanted some time alone."

Dante tried to laugh, but it turned into a groan. "Ouch."

"Don't be such a baby."

"Thanks a lot, Trish. So…Deterion and Angulus are gone? What happened after I got knocked unconscious?"

"We were fighting them…I was trying to protect Lady from Angulus…even though her stubborn ass was fighting as well. Vergil was trying to kill Deterion, but truth be told, he didn't do so well. Anyways, Lucia showed up at the last second with Matier. Matier did something…extraordinary. It was able to hurt them pretty bad and they retreated. We've lost them since then."

"I see," Dante mumbled, looking away.

"Don't give me that face. I know what you are thinking, Dante. You didn't fail. Lady is safe, isn't she? You practically gave your life for her. You are extremely lucky to be alive."

"Yeah," Dante growled, forcing himself out of bed.

Trish glared at him, straightening her posture and unfolding her arms. "What the hell do you think you are doing?! Get back into bed! Matier still isn't done with you!"

Dante was only wearing pants. He noticed the large scar on his chest that had yet to heal from Angulus. He could tell that it was slowly healing, and in the next day or so, would be gone. However, the scar burned like fire with pain as he moved.

"I'm fine," he sighed, slipping past her. "Thanks, _Mom_."

"Haha, very funny," she mocked, following him. "Fine, see if I care. I'm going to go get some fresh air. Don't come crying to me if that thing rips open or whatever."

Annoyed, the female demon woman headed to the front of Devil May Cry to go outside. Dante could only chuckle at her back. He went down the short hallway, passing the kitchen and bathroom to go to Lady's room. At first, he went to knock, but then stopped. Quietly, he opened the door and slipped inside.

Lady was sleeping soundly in the bed. He could tell by her face and body that she was having a hard time sleeping, and this was probably the first time she was able to slip into a steady nap. Dante watched her closely, not wanting to disturb her but desperately wanting to touch her. He tore his gaze from her, swallowing hard. He knew he should let her sleep. Matier would be back soon, and Dante needed more info on what was going on. However, when he moved to leave, he found himself approaching her bed.

He stood over her a moment, taking in her unsettled state. It was all his fault that she was stressed and having trouble sleeping. Lady didn't stir under his gaze, not even when Dante stroked her cheek lightly. He bent down over her, kissing her on the forehead and taking in her sweet scent. Afterwards, he reluctantly left her so she could rest.

When he came out of Lady's room, Dante left to go to the front of Devil May Cry. Just as he was sitting down at his desk, Vergil entered through the front doors. He beheld Dante with a calm expression, but Dante could tell that his twin brother was making sure he was alright. Vergil walked over to the pool table, absently straightening the balls into the triangle.

"How are you feeling?" his brother asked coolly.

"Like crap, but I'm alive. Trish told me what happened. How did Matier heal me?"

"That old woman is very mystical. I do not know exactly how she cured you, but she did an honorable job," Vergil answered, leaving the pool table to walk over to Dante's desk. "How's Lady?"

Dante found it odd that Vergil seemed curious about Lady. He didn't know if his brother was just trying to make conversation, truly cared, or if Dante's protectiveness of Lady was bringing up jealously.

"She's sleeping," Dante sighed. "I didn't want to disturb her."

"It's good to hear that she is finally getting some rest. When we brought you back here, she refused to leave your side. Matier tried to get her to leave and she wouldn't. I see that Trish was finally able to coax her into resting. Needless to say, when you collapsed back at Temen-ni-gru, she thought you were dead."

Dante's eyes rose to meet his twin's. They stared at each other for a long, quiet moment. Vergil kept the stare strong, and Dante reluctantly looked away.

"So I screwed up. What of it?"

This tiny smirk twitched on Vergil's lips. "I didn't say anything. You are upset because you almost died, showing Lady that you are indeed capable of death."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean, Vergil?" Dante growled. "She knows I'm not invincible."

Vergil chuckled softly. "You are so dense at times. Of course she knows that you aren't invincible. She worries about you…all the time, and seeing you almost die has stricken her."

Dante swallowed hard, feeling the hot remorse of guilt and shame come up his throat. He closed his eyes for a moment, knowing his brother was right. Lady may have acted like she didn't care, but Dante knew all too well that she did.

"You should apologize to her," Vergil stated.

"For what?" Dante snorted. "For almost dying?"

"Yes."

Dante rolled his eyes at Vergil. He then noticed his twin brother looking at the door that led back into the living area of Devil May Cry. As Dante listened, his keen hearing picked up on some movement. Lady must be getting up.

As if knowing Lady was on her way out to the front office, Vergil turned and headed for the front double doors without a word. Dante watched his brother's back as he left Dante alone. Just as the door shut behind him, the door to his right of his desk behind him opened. He looked over, seeing Lady standing there. Even though she had just awoke from sleep, she still looked exhausted. When her eyes landed on Dante, they lit up. Dante got to his feet to greet her.

"Dante! You're awake! How are you feeling?" Lady grunted in surprise, walking directly over to him.

"I'm alive," he sighed, running his hand through his silver hair as he looked at her.

The fire in Lady's eyes returned, and she folded her arms, glaring. "You are such an idiot! You almost died!"

"I was protecting you."

"Protecting me?" Lady growled. "I can take care of myself!"

"Not up against them," Dante retorted, just as cold. His eyes flashed angrily for a moment as he took control of his emotions.

Lady gawked at him for a moment, not expecting him to snap back at her. She looked away, calming down. Dante could understand where she was coming from. Lady had to constantly prove that she was capable of protecting herself with the aspect of being human. She kept her eyes on the floor, her voice lowering to just a whisper.

"They wouldn't have hurt me. I would rather get taken from them than have you die because of me."

"It's going to take a lot more than a couple of skull wearing jokers to get rid of me," Dante stated seriously.

"There you go again!" Lady hissed, jerking away. She turned and headed straight back for her room.

Dante quickly followed after her. He caught the door to her bedroom just as she threw it shut. He entered and shut the door behind him. Lady stood next to her bed, looking as if she was going to lie back down again. Slowly, she turned to face him again, her eyes burning with hurt.

"Lady, I-"

"You aren't invincible, Dante," she murmured, looking away from him.

Dante approached her slowly, until their bodies were inches apart. He reached out, touching her arm tenderly. He lowered his face to her ear, again taking in her sweet scent.

"I know I'm not," he whispered.

"Then why do you act like you are?" Lady growled.

Truth be told, Dante couldn't answer that question. If he had to pin point it, he would have to say that it was to help ease not only himself, but her about both of their own mortality.

"Lady," he whispered into her ear. "I'm here to protect you. I always will be. If I die to keep you safe, then that is good enough for me."

"Don't say that," Lady seethed, trying to contain her emotions.

Dante chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. He gently wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into him for a hug. Lady returned the hug with the same amount of effort, burying her head into his shoulder.

"You're such a jerk," she mumbled into his shoulder.

Dante chuckled, even though it hurt to do so. He kissed her forehead before pulling away. Lady stared at his chest, taking in the large scar that had formed there. She gently stroked it with her fingers. Dante could only stare at her, feeling that want swell up in his chest again. There came knocking on the door behind them. They pulled away from each other just as Trish entered.

"Oh, sorry. I wasn't interrupting was I?" Trish greeted, looking between them.

"No, nothing at all, Trish," Lady said, shaking her head. "Dante was just apologizing for being an idiot."

"Hey!"

"Oh, well, that's nice," Trish laughed. "Matier and Lucia have returned. I think she has something she wants to tell us. Come on."

The beautiful blonde slipped out of the bedroom. Lady gave one last look up at Dante, a small smile forming on her lips before following Trish. Dante trailed her, and the entered the front office of Devil May Cry.

The little, mystical woman stood in the office with her cane, clothes old and raggedy. Lucia stood next to her, looking the same since Dante had last seen her. Just as Dante, Trish, and Lady were approaching them, the front door opened. Vergil slipped in, coming over as well. Matier took a moment to look between each of them, especially the twin brothers.

"Look at you two…so close together yet so drawn apart. What would your mother say now if she were alive now?" Matier asked, glaring up at the young half-breeds.

Vergil opened his mouth to snap a retort, but Dante elbowed him. "That's not what's important now, Matier. What is going on?"

"Did Enzo not give you my other message?" Lucia asked in her tender accent.

"Nope…not unless it was during my half-dead state," sighed Dante.

"That was my bad," Trish muttered, slightly raising her arm like a grade school student. "But, it's fine because Dante just woke up."

"I gave it to you a day before he was knocked unconscious," Lucia heaved, folding her arms and shaking her head.

"Well, excuse me for being busy trying to protect everyone!" Trish growled.

"Alright! Ladies! Please!" Dante chuckled, putting his arms up to settle them.

"We don't have the luxury of time to argue over this. Just tell us what exactly is going on here," Vergil stated evenly.

"Yes, everyone hush," Matier ordered, clapping her hands. The little old lady meant business, and everyone went quiet. "Deterion and Angulus were on Mundus's lieutenants. But they don't want vengeance, no not at all. They could care less that you killed Mundus, even after Sparda did. They want to destroy the both of you for your power…and they want to take control of this realm for their own, greedy plans."

"We know all of that," Vergil said. "Do you have anything useful for us?"

"Yes," Matier sighed, glaring at the older twin. She whacked him in the leg with her cane. Vergil glared at her harder, but Matier only pointed the cane up at his nose. "If you would allow me to finish! Did your mother ever tell you not to interrupt your elders?"

Dante chuckled next to his brother, but this did not go unnoticed by Matier. She pointed the cane at him hard. "You too, Dante! This isn't a comical matter! Now, we have until the next full moon before Deterion and Angulus will be able to pull this off. If we fail, this realm will deteriorate into a wasteland."

"Why do they want Lady?" Trish asked.

"Lady has the blood of the Great Priestess in her veins. She is the last descendant of her, and Lady's blood will pay a vital role in Deterion's plan," Lucia explained.

For a moment, all eyes fell on Lady. She lowered her eyes, biting her lip, but still trying to remain calm and strong. Matier sighed long and hard, shaking her head for a moment as she took a few waddling steps towards the young woman.

"My dear, you must remain safe…if not, this realm will surely be destroyed by the brothers of darkness."

"Of course, it all comes down to me…the weak human," Lady growled.

"You are by no means weak, my child," Matier said gently. "You are just as strong as anyone in this room. Besides, you are well protected here. I know one man who would no doubt give his life for you."

Lady looked away from the short, mystical woman, her eyes landing on Dante. Their eyes locked, and Dante slightly smiled. Lady could only look away. "If you say so."

"Now, there are still some things we need to figure out. Deterion has plans that still evade us. We need to find out what he and Angulus are planning so we can better plan ahead," Matier explained, looking around at them.

"Why can't we just find them and kill them?" Dante growled.

"Didn't you try that already?" Matier asked, smiling up at him. "It almost killed you. Vergil did no better against Deterion, and Trish and Lady were barely able to hold Angulus off after he knocked you unconscious."

Dante gnashed his teeth and swallowed back some words. He couldn't argue with Matier if she was telling the truth. Vergil looked equally annoyed by her words for them. Vergil always hated being looked down on.

"What about all the destruction that came up with the rising of Temen-ni-gru. Now I know the force from the tower rising would cause quakes and such, but there were strange things coming out of the ground…along with demons," Lady asked.

"Good question. I think that Deterion is ahead of more than we think he is. Those obsidian-like spikes will serve in his plan if we don't take him down. As for the demons, well, he is letting them through by the power of Temen-ni-gru," Matier explained.

"Great," heaved Trish, folding her arms.

"Now…Lucia and I will go out and seek out what they are planning. It would be best if the four of you stay here and rest. Lady needs to be kept safe. Deterion and Angulus won't be looking for us, so we will be able to find out their plans easier. We will return afterwards with the news we have found."

"Be careful, Matier," sighed Dante. "You too, Lucia. I know how you can be."

Lucia laughed. "Thanks. Come on, Matier."

With that, Lucia and Matier turned and left Devil May Cry. Dante, Lady, Vergil, and Trish were left in silence, standing in the middle of the front office staring after them as the front doors shut.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the short chapter! I meant to add this on to Chapter 8: The Brothers of Darkness, but I decided to make it its own chapter! So now Matier and Lucia are in it, but don't worry, they won't be in it too much! :) It will still be mainly Dante, Lady, Vergil, and Trish! Deterion and Angulus are starting their plans, and now we must ponder what's in store for our heros. Just to fore warn anyone, there will be some Vergil/Lady moments, but just to add to the effect of Dante/Lady, lol. Umm, that should be it! Hope all of you enjoyed this chapter! Thanks for reading and reviewing! XD**


	10. Chapter 10: Nightmare

**Chapter 10: Nightmare**

Lady sat down on the roof, looking out into the sunset from atop Devil May Cry. The block before here was silent. The people of the city were either hiding in their homes and apartments and work places, or have evacuated from the sudden rush of demons and destruction. Lady spent most of the day with Dante, Vergil, and Trish helping exterminate the demons that were released when Temen-ni-gru rose from the earth once again. Matier and Lucia had yet to return, and Lady started feeling uneasy in her gut. She didn't understand why it had to be her. What was so special about her that Deterion would want? Sure she had the blood of the Great Priestess in her, but Lady didn't feel worthy of it.

It hurt her so much when she saw Dante half-dead. He gave his life for her, without any hesitation. Lady was shocked, even though she knew she shouldn't have been. She knew Dante's feelings for her all too well. She cared deeply for him, but she just couldn't give in to him. She had no idea why she couldn't give in to him, she just did it.

_You're just protecting yourself…right?_ she asked herself. Lady heaved a sigh.

"Can I join you?"

Lady jerked her head over, noticing Trish as she silently stepped over to the edge of the roof. Lady nodded, glad for Trish's company. As much as she was worried about Dante, she was sure she couldn't handle his company right now.

The two women stared out across the streets and block, watching as the sky slowly turned to a burning orange from the setting sun. For a long moment they were silent, just enjoying the other's company.

"It's not like you to be so depressed," Trish finally stated, glancing over at her friend.

"It's Dante," Lady blurted. She couldn't stop herself from saying it. Well, she knew Trish would understand.

Trish chuckled softly. "I know."

"I just don't understand him sometimes. He can be such an arrogant jerk, and then he turns around and…and…"

"Saves your life? I know, what a freaking bastard," Trish heaved, mocking Lady's agitation. "The nerve of some people."

"Haha, you are funny," Lady growled, but then twitched a smile. "It's just…he shouldn't have to be so protective over me."

"He knows you can take care of yourself. He just cares for you so much," Trish whispered.

They looked down onto the main street in front of Devil May Cry. Vergil was standing there in the middle of the street using his keen senses to detect enemies. Lady was sure Dante was still inside resting, but he probably wouldn't be for long.

"You know, after Dante thought he lost Vergil for good after the Temen-ni-gru incident when we first met…it was the first time I saw him cry. He blamed it on the rain, but I know it was him. I told him that even a devil may cry if he loses a loved one. A week later, I came to visit, and he had named this shack Devil May Cry," Lady chuckled, watching Vergil closely.

Vergil leaped easily two stories high to get onto the roof of the building across from them. He glanced over at them, the wind blowing his hair and clothes. For a moment, his eyes locked with Lady's. Lady felt the cool depths of his eyes draw her in more and more by the second. Finally, Vergil looked away, turning his attention out to the sunset.

"When I first came to Dante as a puppet to Mundus, I automatically felt the love that was between him and his mother. It was so heart wrenching to me that I defied Mundus so I could save him. I almost died there back on Mallet Island. He cried for me, and somehow…it brought me back. I haven't ever seen him cry since, but I will tell you this. I believe in all my heart and soul he would weep for you if you were killed."

"You think so?" Lady asked, her voice cracking.

"I know so," Trish answered strongly. The female demon looked across the way back to Vergil. "There are two very big differences between Vergil and Dante."

"Yeah?" Lady giggled. "What?"

"First off, their eyes are totally different. Even though they are the same color, you can tell them apart like a piece of cake," Trish answered.

Lady could believe that. Dante's eyes were emotional. You could read him all the time, from his happiness to his sadness to his anger. There also was a light in Dante's eyes that seemed to take away all the darkness around her. As for Vergil's eyes, they were strong, impenetrable orbs filled with a darkness and power that mystified her. But there was also this sense of light Lady could feel within Vergil, like a single ember trying not to be snuffed out by all the darkness.

By this time, Dante had come out onto the street below them. They watched as Dante leaped onto the next building to join his twin brother. They saw Dante wince in pain, having some injuries left over from Angulus to show that he should still be resting, not jumping around. Vergil shook his head at his brother, slightly smiling.

"The other is that Vergil can hide his emotions…can control them. Growing up around danger and people that wanted to hurt him for being a half-breed hardened him. But not only that, but from protecting their mother Eva, and from protecting Dante…even after Eva was killed, seemed to turn him into stone. Dante was a little more protected thanks to Eva and Vergil, so never really endured some of the hardships that Vergil went through."

"I never knew that," Lady whispered.

"Neither did I," sighed Trish. "Matier told me all of this."

"It's hard to think that Vergil sacrificed so much for them…but somehow…I can believe it," Lady mumbled.

"And yet they want to kill each other. You can't tell right now, of course. I find it strange that they want to kill each other so bad, yet they can stand there and talk like everything is just fine between them," Trish sighed, slightly shaking her head.

"I don't get that either."

Lady grew quiet after her words, thinking to herself. She watched the twin brothers across from them. They talked while looking out across the city and the setting sun. Lady wrapped her arms around her legs, pulling them close to her chest.

_I suppose I should be thankful. If Vergil truly sacrificed that much for Dante, to the point that he became trapped in darkness, then it could have been different. Dante could have ended up just like Vergil…or worse._

"Are you okay?"

Lady shook out of her reverie. "Yeah. Fine."

"Personally, I hope this experience with them having to work together and having to spend time together will bring them not to want to kill each other anymore. Because really, they aren't much different, and Vergil isn't really that bad. He is just on a dark path, and needs to be brought to the light."

Lady barely nodded her head, eyes still on the sons of Sparda. "I agree."

Lady heard the powerful rumble of a V8 engine coming down the road. She and Trish turned their heads, looking down the road of the empty block. A sleek, black 1969 Chevrolet Camaro was rolling up. They instantly recognized it as Enzo's vehicle. Lady saw the twins already leaping off of the roof to drop the few stories down to the road to greet him. Trish grabbed Lady's arm before she could say anything and followed them.

Trish and Lady came up to Vergil and Dante. Enzo opened the door to the idling muscle car and stepped out. He looked between the four of them for a moment, his gaze serious and calculating.

"What's going on, Enzo?" Dante asked, his eyes darkening as if he could sense the bad news on his comrade.

"I received a message from Lucia and Matier that I was supposed to relay to you. They are still trying to work out Deterion and Angulus's next move, but they wanted me to warn you that they won't be alone."

"You think?" Vergil snorted. "These two have an army behind them."

Enzo beheld the older twin for a moment. "Yeah, but I wouldn't worry about the small fry. If Matier and Lucia heard correctly, there are five extremely powerful devils that have also joined the Brothers of Darkness."

"That's just great," Lady sighed, crossing her arms.

"I guess this means we are going to have our arms full," Trish stated, shaking her head.

"Did they say anything else?" Dante asked.

"They said they would get back with me if they find anything else out. Just keep your guard up."

"Thanks, Enzo," Dante sighed.

Enzo nodded. He dipped his head at the four of them and then slipped back into his Camaro. The muscle car pulled off, rolling down the street with echoing pipes. It turned and the next block, and disappeared from their view. The four of them stood in silence for a moment as the street lamps started to kick on from the sun dipping into the horizon. A cold wind passed between them. Lady noticed that Vergil was staring at her, his blue eyes cool and dark.

"Well, after that news, I could go for a beer," Trish heaved.

"Me too," Dante mumbled, following along with Trish.

They both stopped short when they realized that Vergil and Lady were not following. They turned back to them, noticed the two were glaring at each other. Trish gave a concerned look to Dante. The younger twin kept his eyes on his brother and Lady.

"Is there a problem between you two?" he growled.

Vergil and Lady looked over to them at the same time. "Not at all," Vergil purred, slipping past the gorgeous human woman along with Dante and Trish to head inside Devil May Cry.

Lady was lost in thought for a moment. She then slipped past Dante and Trish as well, careful to avoid Dante's gaze. Dante seemed a little aggravated, and he followed Trish on to be the last one inside.

To avoid talking to anybody, Lady was the first to hit the shower. She took the longest, hottest shower she could handle. Afterwards she went to her room to find Trish already in there. Trish went on to take her own shower, but not without informing Lady that Dante and Vergil were having a serious talk in the front of Devil May Cry, and to leave them alone. This only piqued Lady's interest.

She moved with lights steps on her bare feet across the wood floor, making sure the shower was going before getting too close to the door that led to the front. She leaned her right ear up against the door, and could hear the twins talking on the other side.

"…say that? What does this have to do with Mother?" Dante growled.

"I was only bringing it up. You need to keep focused, Dante, especially now. And why are you so touchy when I bring her up?"

"And why aren't you touchy? You were there when Mundus attacked…you saw her get killed before your eyes as she protected us. Why doesn't that bother you?" Dante snapped.

"It does bother me, knowing I failed at protecting you both. However, unlike you, I know how to keep those emotions in check."

"Fuck that. There you go again. It isn't about your pride, Vergil. It is about Mother dying for us."

"Think what you like, Dante, but if you want to survive this, then we are going to have to-"

"I don't give a damn about me! I'm going to make sure that Lady doesn't end up like Mother! Even if that means my life instead."

Lady swallowed hard, closing her eyes at Dante's words. She heard one of them take a few steps. She also heard Vergil let loose a long, tired sigh.

"Well, at least you have grown up a bit. Just a couple days ago you were treating this like a game. It isn't much of a game now, is it?" Vergil growled.

"No, it isn't."

The twins became silent. Lady figured she should be pulling back and heading to her room now. She didn't want them to find out that she had been eavesdropping on their deep conversation. She went to pull her ear away from the door, but instead fell in as it was opened. Lady slightly stumbled forward, but gracefully caught herself. Vergil glared at her hard, holding the door open. Dante wasn't standing much farther away, thoroughly upset with his arms folded and leaning on his desk.

"Did you forget that we have good hearing and scent? Nice try on trying to be sneaky," Vergil seethed, shutting the door behind her.

Lady slightly glared at Vergil, but then calmed down. Vergil was just as upset as Dante. It seemed that the twins had really hit a nerve on each other. Lady lowered her eyes, ashamed of herself for barging in on this family matter. She raised her eyes to meet Dante's, who immediately looked away from her. Lady sighed, slightly smiling at the irony here. She shook her head at the two half-breeds. She may as well put her input on the matter here.

"You two are being entirely unfair to each other. Dante, you know that Vergil cared for Eva just as much as you did. And you for that matter. And as for you Vergil, you know Dante is fully capable of protecting himself, and others…including you."

"I never said that he couldn't," Vergil stated coolly. "And I don't think you have much to say here. This doesn't involve you."

Dante pushed himself off of his desk. He walked around to stand next to Lady. "He's right, Lady. This is between us, but I do appreciate it."

"Why do you keep staring at me like that?" Lady growled, glaring straight at Vergil.

"Like what?"

"You are giving me this look like you are blaming everything on me! You have been looking at me like that all day! You think I wanted this mess to happen? Did you think I wanted the Great Priestess's blood in me?!"

"I have no idea what you are talking about. Dante and I are only trying to talk about something that I am sure you have never gone through…except for the fact that you tried killed your own father because he sold his soul to the Devil."

Dante grabbed her arm just as she tried to lunge at Vergil. Lady glared angrily at Dante's older, darker twin. "I watched that so called "father" kill my innocent mother before my eyes! Why do you think I wanted to kill him for, you bastard?!

"Vergil, that's enough," Dante growled, still holding onto Lady.

Vergil looked away. He gritted his jaw tight, turned and walked out of Devil May Cry. Overhead, they heard thunder clouds rumble, threatening a storm for the night. They watched him go, Lady having to take a minute to cool off. They didn't even notice Trish come in with her night clothes on, along with a towel wrapped around her head.

"What the hell did I miss, a soap opera?" Trish heaved. "All three of you are hopeless!"

"Trish, please. Just give me a minute with Lady alone," Dante sighed, finally letting go of Lady's arm.

Trish shrugged. "I will give you the whole thirty minutes if you know what I mean."

She snickered as they glared at her back. She went back through the door to finish up in the bathroom. Lady turned to Dante, who took a moment to think. She saw him glance worriedly over at the front door of Devil May Cry, definitely thinking about Vergil.

"You heard everything…didn't you?" he rasped.

"Most of it," she sighed.

She walked over to his desk, vaulting herself onto it so she could sit. Now she was almost eye level with Dante as he walked over to her. He stared her down for a moment, his eyes full of concern.

"Don't listen to Vergil, I just…made him upset. We made each other upset."

"If you two care so much about each other then why do you want to kill each other?" Lady asked, keeping her eyes directly on Dante, even as he flicked his eyes away.

"It's hard to explain…it's just…personal," he sighed.

"Like that makes any sense. It is because Vergil has fallen into darkness, right?"

"Vergil is just…he has just become colder after the things he did to protect Mother and me. He was so bent on trying to become stronger to protect us…that it really ate at him."

"I'm sorry."

"For what?" Dante snorted.

"For eavesdropping on your conversation with Vergil. I had no right."

Dante shrugged. "It was probably better that you did. We need a break from each other."

Lady smiled a little. "I am always good at interrupting things."

Dante chuckled, but then his face fell and he became quiet. He came in close to Lady as she sat on his desk. She felt her heart skip and for a moment she stiffened. "I'm sorry about your mother, Lady," he whispered.

"Don't worry about it…it's in the past," Lady mumbled.

Dante eased into her. He kissed her gently on the jaw. Lady closed her eyes, swallowing hard. Lady felt herself wanting to lie down on the desk, but caught herself. She turned her face away from Dante, clenching her jaw. Dante planted a few more kisses on her jaw and neck, reaching his hand up to stroke her side.

"Dante," she mumbled, almost huskily.

Dante groaned, reluctantly pulling away from her. "Sorry…I just…"

Lady slid off of the desk, but kept her body in front of Dante. She saw him stare down at her, eyes full of desire. He tried to swallow back that want, looking away. Lady felt bad for pushing him away. She, herself, felt a flood of lust when he kissed her, but she knew that they would only end up hurting each other. They had to remain only friends.

"I want you so bad," Dante whispered into her ear, making Lady shiver.

"I know," she rasped.

Outside, they heard more thunder, and then rain was suddenly pouring, hitting the roof in a soft, repeating rhythm. Dante heaved a sigh, lifting his hand to stroke her cheek. He leaned forward and kissed her lightly on the forehead before slipping past her to go to the back. Lady was left alone up in the front area of Devil May Cry. All she could do was stand there and think.

Before she knew it, the front door was opening, and Vergil was coming in. At first, she had to look twice. The rain had made Vergil's hair fall and become messy like Dante's. For a moment, she thought he was Dante. Vergil walked over to her, carrying the sheathed Yamato in his right hand. He beheld her sternly for a moment, using his free hand to shake the water from his silver hair.

"I apologize for my words. I did not mean them. Dante and I were both upset," Vergil stated. Lady slightly smiled, knowing it took all of the little humility that Vergil had to say those words.

"It's fine. So was I."

"If you must know the reason why I have been watching you, it is because I am trying to figure you out."

"Figure me out? I didn't know you cared so much."

Vergil snorted at her little joke, slightly smiling himself. "Yes, well, you are quite the intriguing one."

"How so?"

"You are definitely the strongest human I have ever seen. Know I remember why I underestimated you back in the Temen-ni-gru. But there are several other factors. I can now start to see what Dante sees."

"And what's that?"

Vergil twitched a smirk down at her. "Now that is a secret. Good night."

He slipped past her. Lady smiled to herself. "Good night…Vergil."

***

Lady was running. She was completely out of breath, but she had to keep running. The giant hedge maze was dark and cold, save for a few dim lights that lit it up. She could hear her mother screaming her name. Her real name. She could hear her father laughing maniacally. There were also inhuman cries, and she recognized the sound of hungry demons.

"No! Please!" she screamed. No one could hear her. She was lost, trapped. She frantically ran through the maze, trying to follow her mother's voice. Down at the end of one of the paths, she saw a familiar devil dressed in dark blue. The evil looking jester just cackled at her, pointing at her giddily. She instantly recognized it as Jester, and then remembered that Jester was a form of her father.

"Bastard!" she called, chasing after the joker.

He laughed maniacally, leading her through the maze. She came out into a clearing, the center of the maze. The darkness was thick here, and the dim lit lamps struggled to illuminate much. Jester was gone. Her father was gone. All that remained was the bloody body of her mother, but she wasn't alone. Lady cried out, covering her mouth and taking steps back in shock. Dante, Vergil, Trish, Matier, Lucia, Enzo, everybody…they were all dead. She didn't notice them until now, but Deterion and Angulus were standing before her, on the other side of the dead bodies of her friends and family. In the darkness, the eye sockets of the animal skulls glowed evilly, and she could hear the dark brothers laughing.

***

Lady jolted up in her bed, sweating and breathing hard. The nightmare was over, but she was still feeling the affects of it. She caught her breath, completely shaken up from the dream. She noticed that Trish wasn't in here with her, and then remembered that they cleaned out the two second rooms for Trish and Vergil to have their own. Slowly, Lady calmed down. She lay back down under the sheets to try and relax and go back to sleep. Outside, she could hear the thunder and rain. Just as she closed her eyes, she felt the affects of the nightmare return.

Lady slipped out of bed and out of her room. She walked down the hallway the short distance to Dante's room. She slipped quietly into his dark room. There was total silence in his room, save for the weather outside. She could barely make out his form in bed.

"Yeah, babe?" he asked, sounding half-awake, half-asleep.

Lady didn't say anything. She didn't know what to say. She felt completely ridiculous, and she couldn't fathom why the dream affected her so bad. Dante must have sensed her emotions, for he scooted over and lifted up the blankets.

"Come on," he mumbled.

Lady slightly smiled, crawling into bed with him. She was met with so much warmth under those blankets and up against his chiseled body. Dante draped his arm over her, kissing her neck and then went back to sleep. Lady felt so secure there. Again, she twitched a smile at the irony here, and she slowly fell back into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

**A/N: This chapter was meant to be longer, but I cut out the action part I was going to use, lol. I will save it for the next chapter. This chapter felt as if it needed to be all serious and slow. Lady and Dante sure are getting close! And don't worry, Vergil will be getting in there soon hehehehe! The five minions that are following Deterion and Angulus will be like other devils from previous games, i.e: Beowulf, Geryon, etc. Anyways, I enjoyed this simple, short chapter. I hope all of you do too! XD Please read and review!**


	11. Chapter 11: Garm

**Chapter 11: Garm**

Lady was relieved to have awaked before Dante. She quietly slipped out of his room, trying to be as sneaky as possible. The last thing she wanted to do was let Trish find out where she was all night. The she-demon would never shut up if she did.

"You aren't that sneaky, ya know," came Trish's snickering voice.

Jumping, Lady looked up; saw Trish grinning down at her from the upper balcony next to the stairs. Lady glared up at her, putting a finger to her lips. "Shhh!"

Before the she-demon could say anything else, Lady quickly ran for cover in the kitchen. Lady tried her hand at searching for some breakfast, knowing better that Dante wouldn't have anything edible.

Just as she was giving up, Lady turned to head out. She ran directly into Vergil as she left the kitchen. Vergil cocked his head and looked down at here almost curiously, but he did not say a word. Lady slightly glared up at Dante's older twin.

"Are you not going to apologize?"

"You ran into to me," Vergil replied, twitching a smile. He then brought up his hand, presenting a golden apple to her. "Trish said that you would not be able to find any food here, so I figured I could get you something while I was out."

Lady couldn't help but to smile. She loved golden apples. She gently took it, smirking up at Vergil. "It's not poisoned, is it?"

"If you think you are funny, you are not," Vergil replied, though he did chuckle.

"Thank you."

Vergil dipped his head. "You are welcome. It seems my brother needs to learn to eat more than just pizza."

Lady didn't want to hear about anymore pizza. She was tired of pizza, thanks to Dante's diet that consisted of only that…and beer. She took a bite out of her apple. "How is it looking out there? Still a lot of demons?"

"Yes. Though I am surprised to see more humans still in the city than I thought there was."

"We are pretty stubborn. I might as well get my things and go out and kill some demons. There isn't anything else better to do, is there?"

"Not while we wait for Matier and Lucia," came Trish's voice. The she-demon came walking up to Lady and Vergil with a sly smile on her pretty face. "But you do know that you can't go alone, right Lady?"

"Fine whatever, but I am not staying cooped up like some vulnerable princess," Lady heaved, heading for her room to get her weapons. Vergil and Trish glanced at each other.

Trish shrugged her shoulders. "She is about as stubborn as Dante…or worse."

By this time, the younger twin was coming out of his room, still half-asleep and yawning. He stopped to focus on Vergil and Trish. "Did I miss something?"

"No. I think Lady is about to go out to hunt some demons. Vergil and I might as well go with her. You better hurry if you are gonna come along."

"Aw c'mon, she can't wait until I have some breakfast?" Dante grumbled. "Or take a shower?"

"You want to ask her that?" Trish asked.

"No."

"Okay then. We will see you when you catch up to us."

"Just make sure nothing happens to her while I'm not there," Dante heaved.

"She will be fine," Vergil stated, turning to head to the front office.

Dante slipped into the bathroom, presumably to take a shower. Lady was out of her room and through the door to the front office in a heartbeat. Trish had to hurry to catch her. Dante's phone on the desk was ringing crazily. They left it alone, knowing that there were too many demons to keep track of in the city right now. When they came outside, Lady noticed that the buildings still looked the same, only it seemed more vacant. There were no humans walking outside on the sidewalk, or cars going down the road. It was quiet save for the wind that howled down the streets in-between buildings.

"Wasn't Matier and Lucia supposed to be back by now?" Trish inquired, looking up and down the street.

"I wonder if something happened to them," Vergil stated.

Lady walked down the steps, heading towards her motorcycle that was parked at the side of the road. Just as she reached the bottom, portals were opening and demons were coming through in the dozens. Most were low ranking demons, but occasionally a grim reaper was coming through.

Lady, Trish, and Vergil started getting to work. Lady used her Uzis to tear through the hordes that were coming at them. Trish didn't hesitate to use her electrical powers. Vergil was a blur as he sliced and diced his way through the pack of demons that were screaming. Lady unstrapped Kalina Ann to fire a missile at the cackling grim reaper. The missile barely missed, colliding into another building instead and blowing up. By this time, Lady noticed Dante killing demons with them. She could tell that his hair was still wet from the shower.

Just as they were working together to kill the entire mob of demons, down to where there was only a few left, something caught Lady's eye. Peeking out from behind a dumpster was that familiar blue demon…Jester. The clown-like demon waved at her with his crazy grin, and then took off running down the alley. Lady's heart flared up into her throat, knowing that was her father. But how could that bastard still be alive?

She went straight for her bike, turning the machine on and taking off at high speeds. She could hear the others calling out at her to stop, but she didn't. She couldn't lose Jester, she needed to find him and kill him! She sped her bike through the alleyway, watching as the jester ran for it. She came out onto the road, following him and weaving through parked cars and poles. She saw that Jester was heading for the nearest park, but Lady didn't relent off of the gas as she jumped the bike over the curb to continue.

She slowed to a stop in the opening of the park on the grass, the motorcycle rumbling lowly on idle. She looked all over, losing track of Jester. There were trees in one direction, the large pond not far down the hill of the field she was in.

"Show yourself!" Lady barked, growing angry.

Jester was laughing maniacally, the echoes surrounding her. Suddenly he was right there in front of her bike. Lady leaped off of the motorcycle, getting her weapons ready. Jester grinned at her, clapping his long fingered hands.

"You are quite gorgeous, you know," Jester said.

Lady furrowed her eyebrows, thoroughly confused. This Jester sounded totally different from the one her father acted as. The blue demon started to morph and change shape. Grunting, Lady stepped back, getting her guns ready.

Jester downsized, shrinking and morphing into a black cat with stunning blue eyes. The cat sat down on its haunches, grooming itself contently. Lady didn't know what to do. This had to be a demon, but could a powerful demon come in the form of a cat?

"Look at you, so stiff. Why don't you relax, Milady?" the cat purred, eyes twinkling at her. His voice was cool and velvety. Lady could see great intelligence in those eyes.

"Who are you?" Lady growled.

"My name is Hex. I work for the Brothers of Darkness."

"So are you here to kill me?"

"Kill you?" Hex snorted, tail thrashing and whiskers twitching. "I don't want to kill you, darling. I simply lured you out here, that's all."

_Lured?……_

The ground started shaking. Lady had to fight to keep her balance. Hex got to his paws, having no problem to keep his footing. He sneered up at her, slightly baring long fangs. "Sorry darling, but I have to go now. I hope we can meet again."

With that, the cat morphed into a raven. Cawing, the bird took to the sky flying off towards the morning sun. Ahead of her, the ground was cracking open, releasing dark green flames. Black limbs broke through the earth, and before she knew it a huge demon was crawling out of the hole. Lady kept backing up, saw that the demon was a black dog the size of a house. The features of the dog demon reminded her of a Doberman Pinscher with cropped ears, but the monster was completely black with green flames on its long bone thin tail and back. Large claws almost like a cats hit the ground with its paws. Howling, Lady had to yell out and cover her ears in pain. The noise definitely blew an eardrum. The huge dog demon glared down at her, baring gleaming fangs and growling louder than a diesel engine.

"Well, well, well…look what we got here. A treat for the Brothers. It will be my pleasure to fetch you for them. I fetch rather well," the dog growled.

"Do you think you can fetch me, Fido?" Lady snapped, aiming her weapons.

The dog demon snorted, sending a wave of hot air to her face. The golden eyes of the demon narrowed and he snarled loudly down at her. "My name is Garm, you pathetic human."

"Then bring it on, Garm."

The dog demon started cackling, lips curling into a wicked grin. "I like a little game before a meal. I don't think the Brothers need you alive; they just need your blood. How about I kill you and eat you and then I will vomit your guts up for the Brothers to harvest?"

Lady started firing at Garm. The bullets showed to do no damage as the hellhound howled out and ran for her. Lady turned and ran for it. Garm reached down with his jaws, taking her bike into his mouth to crunch away like candy. Gasoline spilled out as he bit down on the chew toy of a motorcycle. Lady fired a single bullet, making her bike explode. It pushed the hellhound back, but there was no damage on the demon's face as he dropped the fiery heap of metal to the ground to come after her.

"I live in Hell; do you think fire is going to affect me?" Garm laughed.

The dog ran for her. Cursing, Lady turned to run for the trees for cover. She unstrapped Kalina Ann, turning to fire a missile only when she felt she had enough space between her and the hellhound. The missiles were dodged by his lithe, body in movement, ducking or leaping over the flying projectile.

Suddenly, she heard fire. A blaze of green fire went over her head, striking the ground and putting a wall of fire in front of her. Lady skid to a halt, turning to face the hellhound as he skid to a halt. He slapped her onto her butt with his snout and bared his fangs inches from her face.

"Game over," Garm snarled.

"Hey! What do you think you are doing?" came a voice. Lady felt relief flood through her. That was Dante's voice. She looked over; saw him about fifty feet away with his sword perched on his shoulder.

"What?" Garm grunted, perking his ears and turning to look at Dante.

"She isn't good eating…practically skin and bones. She won't be very nutritious…or tasty," Dante sighed, shaking his head. "Me on the other hand…I have much more meat."

The hellhound snorted contemptuously. "You reek of Sparda. You must be one of the twins…let me guess the rash and dumb one?"

"Hey, who's calling me dumb?" Dante grumbled.

Garm started cackling, yipping almost like a hyena. "Alright, alright. Show me what you got, half-breed."

"You look too much like a mutt to be worrying about pedigree," Vergil said, coming up to stand next to Dante.

Trish came up next, holding a stick in her hand. "Do ya wanna play fetch, boy? Hmm, do ya?" she asked as she shook the stick.

Garm snarled out loud. "Alright, if you all want to bark up the wrong tree, then let's play a little game I call…Kill…"

"Oooohh, that sounds almost scary," Trish snickered.

"Wait, wait, I got a joke first. Are you a giant Chihuahua or rat? And you do know that you are on fire, right?" Dante said, grinning.

Vergil glared at his twin. "Do you want to anger him so much?"

"Why not?"

"That's it! I need to show all of you where you fall in the pack!" Garm howled, turning to run for them.

Lady immediately got to her feet, getting her weapons to start helping them. Trish shot out her electric magic while Dante and Vergil took off running together towards the large hellhound with their swords ready. Lady kept firing her guns while Trish kept shooting her electricity. The twins worked together to keep the beast busy at close quarters, taking turns with playing as bait and battling the creature.

Garm slammed his head into Vergil, knocking him onto the ground. He opened his huge jaws, going in to snap the older twin in half. Vergil was able to thrust Yamato into the roof of the dog demon's mouth, making him yelp. Vergil was quick to use the sword and his legs to keep the hellhound from shutting his mouth.

"Dante! Hurry!" Vergil yelled, sounding aggravated.

A wave of dark red magic swarmed around Dante. Lady saw him morph to his demon form, shooting for Garm's head like a missile. Like a giant blade, his slicked right through the hellhound's throat. Garm was killed instantly, head falling to the ground, followed by the body. Vergil slipped out of the mouth before the head could crash land with him in it. Dante landed, head and static from his power coming off of his body. He soon turned back to normal, and the four of them watched as Garm's body disintegrated into ash and was swept away.

The hole where Garm came from started to crumble away, but they noticed that the grass and trees in the park were starting to die from Garm's ashes. Dante, Vergil, Lady, and Trish came together.

"What is going on?" Dante asked.

"The land…it's…deteriorating…" Trish mumbled.

"Just like Matier said," Vergil growled. "It has begun."

Lady lowered her eyes, closing them for a moment and feeling a pain to her chest. "This is all my fault."

* * *

**A/N: 0.o please don't kill me for this extremely long delay! . I am sooooo sorry! I had major writer's block in this chapter for some reason lol! That is why it is kind of short! Well, I hope all of you enjoy it anyway, and thank you for being so patient! I think I am back on track with this story, so hopefull chapter 12 won't take so long! Thanks for reading and reviewing everyone! :)**


	12. Chapter 12: Chemistry and Curse

**Chapter 12: Chemistry and Curse**

"So, that Garm devil must have been one of Deterion's followers," Trish said as she, the twins, and Lady got back to the Devil May Cry office.

Lady nodded. "Yes. He said so himself. But…"

"But what? What happened, Lady?" Dante asked, studying her closely.

Lady could feel their eyes on her. She didn't particularly want to tell them about the demon she thought was Jester. It would be a mistake not to though, and they all needed to know what was going on. She let loose a sigh.

"Why did you run off?" Vergil asked.

"I thought I saw Jester…err my father…but it ended up being another devil that just lured me to the park."

"Who was he? Did he say?" Dante asked.

"Yes. He said his name was Hex. He was a shape-shifter. He turned from Jester to a black cat to a raven before flying off. I don't know what his true form is."

"Hex?" Vergil inquired, his tone sounding surprised.

"You know him?" Trish asked, folding her arms.

"Yes," Vergil growled. "He is a very powerful devil. We should definitely be careful when dealing with him. He is a master at deception and manipulation."

"What is his true form? Do you know?" Dante asked, looking to his older brother.

Vergil shook his head. "No. The most common form he uses is the cat."

"That's just great," Trish heaved. "I wonder who else Deterion has on his side."

"Does it matter?" Dante growled. "I don't care who is who so long as Lady is safe."

"It is good that we understand who we are dealing with. You should get that through that thick skull of yours," Vergil snorted, thinning his lips. He turned to walk over to the pool table. Dante glared at his brother's back.

"I have a thick skull? I wouldn't be talking too much, Vergil."

"You both have thick skulls," Trish put in before the argument could even start. "Now is it too hard to stay out of trouble until Matier and Lucia get back?"

"There shouldn't be a problem unless Lady here decides to run off again," Vergil answered her briskly.

It was Lady's turn to glare at Vergil. "I couldn't help that I thought I saw my father."

"And that will get you killed," Vergil retorted as he walked over to her.

Lady didn't know what came over her. The anger hit her like gasoline to a flame. She swung her fist at Vergil, striking him in the lower jaw. Surprisingly, Vergil hadn't expected it, and now he glared at her icily while touching where her fist popped him.

"Okay!" Trish exclaimed, trying not to laugh as she grabbed a hold of Lady and started dragging her to the back of Devil May Cry. "We need to have a little woman on woman talk for a moment!"

They slammed the door behind them, leaving the twins alone in the front office. Dante looked from the door to his brother. He had no idea whether he should have been laughing or not. Soon enough, Dante was cracking a smile.

"What's wrong? Stunned?" he asked.

"She…definitely doesn't hit like a girl," Vergil chuckled.

"Nope…most of the time she doesn't slap, she punches. I've seen her beat the crap out of some asshole twice her size."

"She isn't as weak as the other humans," Vergil stated, looking toward the door as well.

"Well, you did deserve it. She gets touchy with her father and mother. You should know that by now," Dante said, rubbing his neck.

"I was only trying to get her to understand that it is too dangerous for her to run off like that. She knows her father is dead, so there is no need for her to fall for Hex's tricks."

"Is that all Hex will have up his sleeve?" Dante inquired.

Vergil eased a smirk, slowly shaking his head. "I'm sure he has many things planned for us. Now would be the good time to start following instinct, Dante. If something doesn't seem right, then we better check it over and be cautious."

"I just hope that we can get through this and everything can return to normal," Dante sighed.

"Hope?" Vergil sneered. "Hope has never helped us before. Are you second guessing your abilities? It has never stopped you any other time."

His brother spoke the truth. Dante was starting to second guess himself and his ability to protect Lady. He was never one to do such a thing, always believing that he could get through anything. The brothers of darkness were a different matter however. There was something dark and sinister about them that made Dante question his abilities. It wasn't fear of them, it was fear that they could actually succeed at taking Lady.

"And what about you then, brother? Are you second guessing your abilities?" Dante returned the question.

Vergil slightly chuckled. "I'm going to regret saying this but I believe that as long as we stick together, then we have a good chance at destroying Deterion and Angulus and their followers."

Dante cracked a smile. "Aw, that is so sweet, Vergil. I knew you would start to come around sooner or later."

* * *

Lady complained the entire time that Trish dragged her through the back, right into the kitchen. The female demon made sure that the Sparda twins didn't follow before turning to face a huffy Lady. She was glaring at Trish with her arms crossed.

"The nerve of him!" Lady hissed.

"Now, now, you know Vergil was just telling you how to keep yourself from getting killed," Trish answered, heaving a sigh.

"Why the hell did you pull me back here anyway? Woman on woman talk? Come on!"

"Well it sounded better than saying BFF huddle or something," Trish joked, seeing another glare come from Lady. "Well, anyways, I just wanted to tell you that you are handling Vergil quite well."

"What? Vergil?" Lady grunted.

"Yes! Don't you see that he is warming up to you?"

"By…being an asshole?"

Trish put her hand to her face, trying to rethink her words so Lady would understand. "You don't see it, do you? The way he has been watching you and talking to you? He is starting to get the same feelings for you that Dante has."

Lady burst out into laughter. "No way!"

Trish glared at her. Lady was chuckling until she saw Trish's face and then her laughter slowly died to where she was shaking her head at the she-demon. "You are going to make me sick."

"Oh really? Well the chemistry between you and Vergil is as plain as the sexual tension between you and Dante!"

Lady's face went deep red, both from anger and embarrassment. She grabbed a skillet that was on the kitchen counter and threw it at Trish, who casually dodged it. "What the hell, Trish? You are out of your mind! There is no chemistry or sexual tension of any sort!"

"Deny all you want, Lady!"

"What the hell are you two ladies talking about? Did I miss something?"

Lady and Trish had jumped at hearing Dante's voice. He was grinning like the Cheshire Cat while leaning on the threshold to the kitchen. Vergil was standing next to him with a much smaller smirk.

Lady glared at Trish. If looks could kill, Trish would definitely be dead. Trish only grinned sheepishly. Lady heaved a sigh, heading out of the kitchen by slipping in between both brothers. "Yours is coming, Trish!" she called as she went to her room.

There was silence after the door to Lady's room slammed shut. The twins now had their complete attention on Trish, who was twiddling with a fork in her hands. She smiled at the brothers.

"I guess she didn't want to believe any of that yet."

"Believe what?" Dante asked. "All I heard was something about chemistry and sexual tension. This completely has my interest."

Trish chuckled. "I'm sure it does."

"So are ya gonna tell me?"

"Hell no! Lady would kill me!" Trish answered, pointing the fork at him.

"He probably won't leave you alone until you tell him," Vergil stated, slightly shaking his head and glaring at his younger twin.

"What? You mean you aren't interested in it, Vergil?" Dante asked, as if surprised.

"It's Lady and Trish's business, not ours. It isn't our business to be interested," his brother answered.

"Oh, but you are! I can see it in your eyes!" Dante laughed.

Just as Dante finished his words, a loud, rumbling siren started to echo across the city. They all became silent, Lady coming out of her room to join them. They stood there listening to the humming, loud siren. It was the city's emergency siren, used to warn for dangerous storms, tornadoes, and terrorist attacks. It was eerily lifeless as it rang away, stunning them and filling Lady with a cold sense of dread.

By this time, they heard the door to the front office burst open. They all got ready to attack whatever it was that came in, but they saw it was Lucia, eyes wide and breath rough.

"We gotta move! Deterion is going to freeze the city! If we get caught in the spell we will be frozen too!"

"What?" Lady yelled.

"I'll explain later! Get out of the city! We need to meet Matier in the next city over! Now let's move!" Lucia ordered.

"Shit!" Dante cursed, grabbing Lady and yanking her forward to follow the fleeing Lucia.

Trish and Vergil were right behind them. They only grabbed their weapons and headed out. Lady vaulted herself up onto Dante's back and he took off running. They ran through the streets at inhuman speed, having to dodge running humans and attacking demons. More obsidian spikes were sprouting from the ground, tearing up concrete and asphalt in its wake.

"Behind us!" Trish called.

Lady turned to look. She saw a thick fog rushing their way, as if it was the speeding debris of an avalanche. The Temen-ni-gru tower was all but lost in the rushing fog that was consuming the entire city. It was coming up on them fast.

"Transform or we will never make it!" Vergil called out, instantly changing to his full demon form.

He then shot forward like the speed of a bullet. Lucia and Trish followed him. Dante tightened his hold on Lady. "Hold on!"

"I am!"

Dante transformed, doubling his speed in seconds and bursting forward to meet up with the others. They barely made it out of the city's limits before the fog made it. It soon dissipated into nothing, but darkness had now come across the area like a thick curtain. They stood there catching their breaths, looking to see any damage but saw nothing of any type. However, they witnessed the horror of the time freeze. There were humans, animals, even demons all frozen in whatever they were doing. It looked like a sick version of a paused movie.

"Come on! We must meet up with Matier! Let's move before the brothers send out devils after us!" Lucia called.

They all silently nodded. It was a forty mile distance to the next city; the city of Kurage. Lady stayed on Dante's back riding as they ran along the highway to get to their destination. Lady looked over her shoulder, back towards the paused metropolis. It looked like a haunted nightmare, especially with the Temen-ni-gru towering above everything with the faintest light at the very top of the tower, like a distant lighthouse.

Lady turned to face the direction they were headed, burying her face into Dante's hair. She closed her eyes tightly. _I have to believe that we will get through this…_

* * *

Outside the city of Kurage, up in a forested area that had a large house and property was where they met up with Matier. Down in the front of the property, there was an opening and cliff that looked out across the smaller city with a great view. They were relieved to see Enzo had made it out of the city already, and was staying in a hotel in Kurage. The house was large and almost luxurious, with four bedroom and two and a half bathrooms. Though Lady was impressed, she did not feel as though this was the proper safe house for them.

"Matier, is this your house?" Dante asked as they came inside to look around.

"Oh Heaven's no," Matier chuckled. "It is a friend's. He knows what is going on and is allowing us to stay and plan here. He will be here shortly."

"So, what happened back there?" Trish asked, folding her arms and looking almost grim.

Matier's face fell, and the old shaman woman became serious as she beheld them all with her wise gaze. Lucia stood beside her, watching the shorter woman closely.

"Deterion has frozen the city with a curse. It will start deteriorating slowly, until the entire city is nothing but ashes. If we are able to defeat him and Angulus, the curse will be broken, and the city will return to normal," Matier explained. "It doesn't stop there however. They are using Temen-ni-gru as their base of operations. That means while the city is frozen, it will be a battlefield for us and their followers."

"So what do you suggest we do?" Vergil asked, slightly glaring at the old woman.

Matier shook her head. "I really do not know. They will be trying to get Lady in their grasps. I don't know if we should wait until they come to us, or if we might as well head back to the city and Temen-ni-gru to go to them."

"How long until the city is gone?" Lady asked.

Matier's lips twitched. "I give it a week…maybe a little longer."

"That doesn't give us much time," Trish sighed.

"We don't have much manpower either," Lucia put in.

"Numbers don't matter," Dante said, shaking his head. He then looked to his brother. "Vergil…are you up going through Temen-ni-gru once again?"

Vergil twitched a smirk. "You know, that sounds so much better than waiting around."

"Then Lucia and I will stay here and protect Lady. Trish, go with them," Matier agreed.

"What? No, I want to go too!" Lady argued.

"Stubborn woman, we are doing this to protect you," Vergil growled.

"How chivalrous of you," Lady retorted.

"Alright, you two," Trish called.

"We will talk more tonight. Let's just focus on getting settled here. There is food ready for you in the kitchen, and you may pick your rooms," Matier explained.

"Food sounds good!" Dante exclaimed, heading straight for the kitchen.

Lady took this time to explore the house and find herself a room. She decided to make herself at home in a large bedroom upstairs. She looked out of the window, taking in the surrounding mountains and view that sloped down into the city. This made her sigh, feeling guilty to the events that happened to their own city.

She heard the door open to the bedroom open up behind her. Lady turned to see Trish enter. The beautiful female devil took a moment to look the room over before focusing on her good friend.

"You should come down and eat something. Matier says her friend will be here shortly," Trish stated.

Lady nodded. "Alright."

The two women made their way downstairs into the large, luxurious kitchen. The twins had already gone off to check the house out. Matier and Lucia were here in the kitchen discussing something with hushed hurry. They stopped when they saw the women enter. Lady felt her stomach growl in hunger. There was cooked food lined out on the counter. There were plates and silverware set up and ready. Lady got herself a plate, along with Trish and they sat down at the long dining table to eat.

As evening turned to night, they gathered in the main hall as Matier's friend entered into his house. He was a tall, aristocratic man with the looks of a Native American descendant. He had his dark haired pulled back into a loose ponytail, and his onyx eyes beheld them with a sense of mysticism.

"All of you, this is Red Hawk. He is a witch doctor, and this is one of his many houses he is letting you stay in, so be grateful," Matier informed. "Red, you know the twins of course, but this here is Mary-"

"Lady!"

"I apologize, Lady…and Trish."

Red Hawk bowed slightly at them, a ghost of a smile on his lips. "It is an honor to meet all of you."

"You know us?" Dante asked, insinuating himself and Vergil. "But we don't know you."

"My grandfather was a very loyal comrade to your father Sparda. He told my father and me stories about his battles to destroy evil. I hope my home here can provide you with a safe haven while the darkness spreads."

Dante looked to Vergil, who was glaring almost coldly at Red Hawk. The older, darker twin didn't say a word, but they could feel the ice on his eyes.

"Thank you, Red Hawk. I owe you greatly," Matier said, dipping her head.

"No need, Matier. You were great to my tribe for many generations. It is the least I can do. As a shaman, I have nothing but respect for you and Sparda."

The witch doctor dipped his head at them once again. "Well, I must take my leave. If you need anything, Matier knows how to get in touch with me. Take care and good luck."

Red Hawk turned and headed out of the house to leave. Dante, Vergil, Lady, and Trish turned to Matier and Lucia.

"Why such the cold gaze, son of Sparda?" Matier inquired.

"I don't like him."

"You don't like anybody," Dante chuckled. "Relax, will you? He's allowing us to stay here."

"How was this ready so soon?" Vergil asked, motioning to the entire house while glaring at Matier.

"As soon as I heard that Deterion and Angulus were going to put the curse down, I had Lucia run to get all of you and I came here to talk to Red Hawk," Matier answered.

"Why freeze the city?" Lady asked.

"Because it would have been easier to get you," Lucia answered briskly. "After freezing time all over the city, the brothers could seek you down and take you. We were lucky to have made it out in time."

"This will only anger them. We must move out," Vergil growled.

"And exactly what do you have planned, Vergil?" Trish asked. "You are starting to sound like Dante. Let's just break in and kill them! Yeah right, like it is going to be so simple!"

"Hey now," Dante grumbled, giving his comrade a glare.

"Let's just settle for the night. We can make a decision in the morning," Matier told them, slightly shaking her head. "All of you are bickering too much. You all remind me of children! None of us survive if you spend most of our time fighting amongst ourselves."

They all glared at each other, but soon calmed down. They soon broke down and headed off to their rooms. Lady held Vergil's gaze for a long moment, before he looked away and headed for the front door. She hoped he wasn't planning on doing something stupid. She looked to Dante, whose eyes were set on his brother for the moment but soon he felt her eyes on him and he looked to her. He gave her a weak smile, rubbing her back for a moment as he headed past her towards the stairs.

For a moment, Trish's words to her earlier came back to her mind, and Lady lowered her eyes to the tiled floor. _I need to be careful for my feelings for both of them…_

* * *

**A/N: So sorry about the delay in this chapter! DX I wanted to go one way with this story but then changed it, lol. So yeah, here ya are! Hope all of you enjoy! :) So there is some VergilxLady chemistry going on here, but don't worry DantexLady fans, this is still a DantexLady story isn't it? Okay, well I'm outta here! Til next chapter guys! Thanks for reading and reviewing! XD**


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